Hunters:Possession
by BlazeorFade
Summary: Fourth in the Hunters Series. The trio head to Tucson for what looks like a case of demonic possession but something goes terribly wrong leaving two of the hunters in a race to save one of their own.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Hunters:Possession

Author: BalzeorFade

Rating: T (Hard T for violence and dark themes)

Summary: The trio head to Tucson for what looks like a case of demonic possession but something goes terribly wrong leaving two of the hunters in a race to save one of their own.

Disclaimer: You know they aren't mine. I just like to play with the pretties for awhile.

Erica unlocked her apartment door juggling her grocery bags in one hand. She hummed along to the song playing on her mp3 player carelessly. She 'hmphed' to herself seeing the darkened inside of her home. Her husband should have been home by then. Erica balanced the bags on her foyer table and moved deeper inside frowning.

"Danny?" She called for her husband. No reply came.

"Andy? Becca?" She tried her teenage children's name's before remembering that they were out for the night. A sleepover for Becca and an away game for Andy.

Anxiety creeped into her chest as she walked through the empty living room. She thought about going back to her purse for her can of maze. She was just about to turn around when something grabbed her from behind. She screamed and fought back.

"Shh. Erica, its just me." Her husbands bewildered voice soothed her. He turned her around to show that it was just him.

"You scared the hell out of me." Erica said smacking him on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry." He said rubbing her back soothingly. She felt her heart beat slow down to beat steadily once again.

"Why is it so dark in here?" She asked Danny looking around them. She wasn't sure why but being in a darkened house made her feel like she had whisper even of it was just them.

"I have a surprise for you." Danny said sheepishly. He bit his lip in that way that reminded her of their first date sixteen years ago and pulled her by the hand towards their large dining room.

A candle lit dinner was laid out. Everything from her favorite flowers (white roses) to her favorite side dish (cous cous) was set out on the table. The candles added a faint glow to everything.

"I didn't mean to scare you." Danny told her. "I just wanted to apologize for the other night."

"That's so sweet." Erica gushed quietly putting her arms around her husbands neck, snuggling close to him. She closed her eyes and let the aroma of the candles fill her senses.

'He's not sorry.' A voice in the back of her mind whispered. She opened her eyes and frowned against his neck, where had that come from?

"Honey what's wrong?" Danny asked feeling her stiffen.

"Nothing." Erica said with a hesitant smile. She shook her head. Just the stress, she thought to herself.

"Are you sure?" Danny asked. He looked deep into her dark eyes searchingly.

"I'm fine. Let's eat." She assured him.

"I'll get the wine." Danny smiled at her. He pulled out a chair for her and went to the kitchen.

Picking up the bottle of wine and the corkscrew. Danny walked back to the dining room with a smile knowing he'd been forgiven for their fight days ago.

"I got that red that you liked so mu-" He broke off when he came into an empty dining room.

"Erica, honey?" He called frowning. Danny set the bottle down on the table.

"Erica?" He called her name again. Maybe he wasn't out the dog house yet, he thought.

Danny walked through the house and saw no trace of his wife. He circled back to the kitchen and saw her standing in the half lit kitchen, taking a blade from the pantry.

"The knife you set out couldn't cut butter, let alone bread." She laughed at his startled expression. He laughed at himself.

"Thought you'd disappeared on me." He teased.

"Never." Erica promised walking towards him to press a gentle kiss to his lips.

"Lets eat." She said again. Danny followed her back into the dining room with his arms twined around her.

He let go turning his back to her to pick up the wine bottle. He'd just started pulling the cork out when a hot pain seared through his back. He whirled around opening his mouth, but a slow dribble of blood stopped his shocked words. Erica held the blood coated blade, coked her head to the side as he fell to his knees, his eyes begging for an explanation. She gave him a soft smile, turned the blade in her hands and cut his throat. Danny fell dead at her feet.

She picked up a napkin from the dining room table and rubbed down the blade. She hummed a song as she turned back around and walked out to the foyer. She picked her keys up from the foyer table eyeing the 'Welcome to Tucson.' Keychain, a quaint smile crossing her lips.

The door shut closed behind her leaving the gruesome scene for someone else to discover.

* * *

Sam shot up in bed panting wildly. Dean sat up brandishing the knife he kept under his pillow. He looked around for what might have disturbed his sleep. 

"Sam?" He asked focusing on Sam in the next bed.

"We have to go." Sam said looking at Dean with wide eyes. Dean didn't ask any questions just got to his feet and shoved his legs into his jeans.

"Where?" He asked Sam as they got ready to go.

"Tucson. I'll tell you on the way." Sam told him. Dean nodded.

"I'll get Jack, while you get the car." Sam volunteered shouldering his pack.

Sam left the room and went up the staircase to Jack's room one floor above them. They almost didn't stay there because the only rooms available were on two different floors but Jack scoffed reminding them she could take care of herself. He pounded on her door headless of the time, till she cracked it open and poked her disheveled head out the door.

"Wha?" She asked half yawn half question.

"We gotta go." Sam said hearing the Impala's trunk open and close one level down.

"What? Why?" Jack asked jumping to alert mode.

"A vision. Someone's going to die in Tucson." Sam said shaking with adrenaline.

"Give me a minute." Jack said seriously, he nodded and she closed the door. He made his way back down the stairs. Dean was already waiting behind the wheel.

"She'll be down in a minute." Sam told Dean sliding into the passenger side.

"You alright?" Dean asked. He seemed to be asking that a lot lately.

"I'll be fine." Sam said automatically, meaning no, a terrifying peek into the future had just been shoved into his brain, but thanks for asking.

Jack shut the door, looked at her bed and sighed. The light brown head resting against her pillow would have to be taken care of. She moved to the bathroom, putting off waking the boy just yet. She showered quickly and pulled on a long sleeved shirt, a t-shirt over it and her oversized blue flannel shirt. She touched the medallion around her neck like she did a lot. She packed up her things quickly then set to waking her guest.

"Nathan." She shook is shoulder hard forcing him to wake up. He started and opened his eyes. Then smiled at her reaching up for a kiss that was not forthcoming.

"I gotta go." She said.

"Where?" He asked. She balked momentarily, but bit her tongue from telling him it was none of his business.

"You can leave a few minutes after me." She said instead. It had already been ten minutes since Sam had knocked on her door.

"Why a few minutes later?" Nathan asked quizzically.

"Because my friends may hurt you if you don't." She said. His eyes widened in fear. She, Dean and Sam had helped banish a demon the boy and his idiot frat buddies had summoned on accident while trying to scare the new rush's. She should have left the boy alone, but he cute and wide eyed and innocent in a way. Looking at her with clear hero worship after she pulled him out of the way of the demon. She couldn't resist, but now it was time to go.

"If anything like that happens again you have Dean's number." She said slinging her pack over her shoulder.

"Can't I get yours?" Nathan asked her sincerely.

"I don't really give that out." She said with a half smile to take the edge off her rejection. He was crestfallen so she made an exasperated sound in her throat and leaned in to give him a kiss. He was sweet, after all, if not her usual type.

"Take care of yourself." She said against his lips. Fifteen minutes since Sam had knocked on the door.

"You too." Nathan called after her as she opened and closed the door.

Jack took the stairs two at a time and got into the car ignoring Dean's eyes narrowed in her. He turned to her and she gave a _what the hell? _Look. He glanced to his right out the window and she followed him to see a very expansive silver BMW parked a few spots down from them.

'Busted.' She thought.

"Nice car. I think I've seen it somewhere before." He said with a deceiving calm. She knew better than to believe that though.

"What are you talking about?" Sam said looking between them then out the window.

"Hey didn't that kid have one-" Sam cut off catching on.

"People dieing in Tucson remember?" Jack reminded them.

"Yeah." Dean said throwing the car into reverse. The subject wasn't closed just put on hold.

**TBC……….**

**AN: Welcome to a whole new Hunters story. Hope you enjoy this one too. Tell me watcha think.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: The lawyers say no I don't own Supernatural but they could be wrong right?**

"I'm not going to pretend to be stricken and embarrassed Dean." Jack said breaking the stretch of silence that had lasted for the past two hours. "I'm not a child."

"Jack, now is really not the time." Sam said sensing an argument on the horizon.

"Sure it is, Sammy." Dean said in that calm level voice that meant he was going to shoot something.

"What did you think you were doing?" Dean locked eyes with her in the rearview mirror.

"Name's Nathan." She answered defiantly.

"Don't be smart." Dean told her angrily.

"Don't be a hypocrite." She shot back.

"If you don't care what we think why did you try to hide it?" Sam asked taking the quieter approach.

"I didn't say I didn't care what you thought and I wasn't hiding anything." Not really.

"And besides I knew you'd get all protective and big brothery on me." Jack said looking pointedly at Dean.

"Of course we would!" Dean said veering into the first gas station they'd passed in a long time. He got out of the car, slamming it behind him and poked his head back in to looked at Jack.

"Stay in the car." He ordered.

"On a scale of one to ten?" Jack asked looking at Sam.

"Ten. Definitely a ten." Sam scowled at her.

"A one night stand Jack?" He asked twisting in his chair to look at her. He looked searchingly into her eyes.

"Don't look like that, there wasn't any question of consent." She said insulted by his thinking anyone could force her to do anything.

"Were you safe?" He asked looking like he'd rather be having any conversation but this one. But he knew that question might get forgotten by his brother while he was still mad.

"Kill me now." Jack groaned looking up at the ceiling. "Yes, I'm not stupid."

"I think that could be argued." Sam mumbled well aware that she could hear him. "He's a stranger. He could have been an axe murderer for all you knew."

"Sammy." Jack barked a laugh, "He was a college kid, a couple years younger than you."

"What if that demon was possessing him and we only thought we killed it. It would've been the perfect trap to kill you." Sam said, thinking that only with them did a situation like that have a precedent.

"He wouldn't have been able to cross the salt lines." Jack argued smugly.

"Jack," Sam said looking at her seriously. "You're better than that."

'No I'm not.' Jack thought.

Dean came back with a bag of snacks. He tossed it onto the drivers seat and went to fill up the tank. His mood had not improved in the last few minutes.

He pumped the gas, glancing at the back of Jack's head. He wasn't sure exactly why he was so mad, just that he wanted to drive back there and lash that boy to the hood of his car. She was wrong about him thinking it was because of her age. He didn't think of her as a child, never had. Calling someone who'd seen the things Jack had, a child was disrespectful. He didn't think it was jealousy, he didn't want her for himself. She was probably the only platonic female friend he'd ever had. But the thought of some random guy with her didn't sit right with him. Especially some rich bitch, frat kid who didn't know which end was his ass. And there was something else, something on the edge of his thought process that he couldn't really make out, something buried.

Hypocritical? Yes. Justified? Also yes in his eyes. He finished pumping the gas and got back in the car. He didn't turn it on though instead he turned around to glare at Jack.

"No more hooking up with random jackasses that we save on gigs. Or random jackasses period" Dean said. "I don't care what he says or how nice his car is."

All Jack's fierce independence roared at this order and the insinuation.

"Go to hell." She snarled. Sam's eyes widened and Dean's hands clenched tightly in the steering wheel.

"Jack." He said in that tone that said whoever was pissing him off better get their shit straight and get the hell out of the line of fire. Either Jack didn't recognize it or she was choosing to ignore it.

"Dean. You are not my father. I can do as I please and I can certainly fuck who I please." Jack said. Dean's pupils were a pinpoint, he wasn't speaking just looking at her and she felt the first creep of fear. An angry Dean was a frightening Dean, she knew that from hunting with them for these past few months.

"Don't push me Jack or you'll share a room with Sammy from now on and believe me he'll be as much of a guard dog as me." Dean threatened. Dean turned the car on and cranked up the volume, drowning out Jack's retort.

Sam watched in surprise, if he hadn't seen how serious Dean was he would've thought that last remark was a joke to break the tension. But he had seen his face and frankly he was shocked. Sam disapproved sure, but he disapproved when Dean hooked up randomly too. He'd never seen Dean and Jack argue like this before, usually they went back and forth until one of them made a crack and they ended up laughing or someone gave. The two just had similar ways about them like that, an understanding. But they were both glaring daggers now, no one was joking and neither were giving in on their point of view.

They passed a road sign that read '100 miles to Tucson, Arizona'. It was going to be a long drive, Sam thought.

Sam was right. The silence between them blared in the car. He tried turning off the radio but Dean stopped him mid-motion without even looking at him. He tried catching Jack's eye in the backseat but she was either staring straight out the window or scribbling madly in her notebook. About what he didn't know.

Finally Sam couldn't stand it. They were heading towards his vision and they didn't even know what it was about yet. Was being over protective really more important than the hunt? Of course he wouldn't risk taking a bullet by speaking this aloud instead he reached out and turned down the volume before Dean could grab his hand.

"So woman comes home. Husband has a nice candlelit dinner laid out for her, she's going for it when suddenly he turns his back and she sticks a knife in his back." Sam said quickly and loud so he could be heard over their protests.

"What's it mean?" He asked them.

"He hasn't taken the garbage out in twenty years Sammy. What's this got to do with anything?" Dean said.

"That's what my vision was. And it wasn't her doing it. I don't have visions about mundane crimes, otherwise I'd never get any sleep." Sam said.

"Doppelganger?" Jack asked jumping right on board just to be contrary.

"Don't think so." Sam said. He described the dream in detail, telling them about the whispers he heard, about the sudden personality shift.

"Could be a skin walker." Den said grudgingly.

"Or maybe she was being controlled by a third party. But that kind of control takes power, why waste on a random couple." Jack suggested.

"Maybe they aren't random." Sam said. "Hopefully we'll get there in time."

"What did the house look like?" Dean asked.

"It was an apartment and I couldn't make out much. It was big, probably expensive, but still a family place." Sam said thoughtfully.

"That all you got?" Dean asked not in an annoyed way. Just him wanting to know.

"Yeah." Sam said. Dean nodded and cranked the volume back up. And that was it, just business, no cracks about it being the trendy new kind of divorce or the husband forgetting to put the toilet seat down or any other shots he would have expected to hear.

Sam sighed and went back to looking out the window at the sun. Somewhere in the tension he'd missed it rising but it was blazing over head now, showing that they were getting closer to their gig. Even in December the sun gave little quarter in this part of the country. The rest of their drive passed the same way till they finally got to Tucson. Sam jumped out of the car before Dean turned it off, so he could escape the aura of irritation. The sun was already disappearing, they'd been on the road all day.

"I'll get the rooms." He said walking towards the front of the motel Dean had chosen. Usually the bigger the city the worse the motel they stayed and this was no exception. The front desk was dingy and the woman behind it looked at Sam with watery eyes.

"Two rooms please." Sam said flashing her a smile she didn't return. He pulled out a phony credit card.

"Singles or doubles." She said bored.

"One single one double." Jack answered for him coming up from behind. The woman's eyes slid to Jack then to Sam for confirmation. He nodded and she retreated into the little office behind her to get the keys.

"I take you didn't make nice while I was gone." Sam said. He looked out the glass door and saw Dean leaning against the drivers side door looking at something Sam couldn't see.

"Nope." Jack said. She fingered her medallion absently.

"He means well." Sam said.

"I don't take orders well. And I don't think I deserved that." Jack said irritably.

"Guys are protective of their female friends. Dean even more so I guess. You know cause of…" Sam trailed off. The excuse felt empty even to him. He wanted to know what was going through his brothers head right then.

"Why are men so weird about that shit?" Jack asked snorting.

"Because men are dogs." Sam said smiling.

"Even you? No, you're more of a pup." Jack said lightly.

"Second floor, round back. Have a nice stay." The desk clerk said throwing the keys hap hazardously in front of them. She took the credit card from Sam and ran it through the machine.

"I meant what I said Jack," Sam said looking at her seriously before they left the building. "You're better than some random guy you bumped into."

"The guy wasn't that bad, he was sweet." Jack said defending someone she barely knew.

Sam shook his head and opened the door for her. Sam remembered the kid, mostly because the entire time Dean was reaming the survivors of the little stunt they pulled, the guy in question was looking at Jack like she was the greatest thing since sliced bread and beer bongs.

"Rooms are on the second floor around the back." Sam said tossing one of the keys to Dean and handing the other to Jack.

"Another day another something to kill." Dean said with his sunglasses pulled down over his eyes.

**TBC……………..**

**AN: Too short, I know. But a longer chapter and a new something nasty for the heroes to fight are coming soon. Till then I'm a review junkie, please feed my addiction.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: The lawyers say no, I don't own Supernatural but they could be wrong right?**

Sometime in the minutes between them entering their respective rooms and them putting up the usual protection Sam's vision went dark. It was only for seconds but a feeling of dread lanced through him and he was brought back to the nightmare he'd had.

"Sam. Sam." He heard Dean saying. He blinked and looked down at the mess of salt where a line should have been. He opened his mouth to speak and that was when he heard the sirens.

"Dean. Its happening right now." Sam said looking wide eyed and fearful at his brother.

"Are you sure?" Dean asked already reaching for his gun.

"Yes." Sam told him. They were out the door, dropping what they'd been doing. Jack was leaning against the railing outside their rooms turning to look at them curiously.

"We got here to late." Sam told her. A flash of something Sam couldn't decipher crossed her face and she nodded ducking into her room long enough to grab a blade and tuck it into her pants.

It wasn't hard to follow the sounds of sirens from their part of the city to a nicer neighborhood with tall buildings complete with doormen. They came to a stop in front just such a building that was lined with the obligatory crowd of spectators, cop cars and an ambulance. They parked across the street and watched as a black body bag was carried out on a stretcher.

Sam felt sick to his stomach. He'd been too late again. He shook his head biting back the urge to slam his head against something in frustration. He was about to tell Dean to take them back to the motel when he saw a familiar face. He focused leaning forward in his chair to g et a better look and there was the wife talking frantically to a police officer. But it didn't look like she was proclaiming innocence while he read her rights. No she was perched on the back of a different ambulance than the one her husbands body was being loaded into, having a paramedic dab her forehead with a bandage while the officer nodded sympathetically. Her make up was smeared and her hair disheveled, with tears running down her cheeks; the very image of the grieving widow.

"I'm sorry Sam." Dean was saying. When he got no reply from Sam he looked at his brother watching something transfixed and looked in that direction. A dark haired woman was crying shaking her head at a police officer.

"Is that her?" Dean asked him. Sam nodded and they continued to watch the woman.

Dean wasn't sure what he was looking for but he knew that something wasn't right with this picture. The police officer patted her shoulder and said something that had her giving him a grateful half smile then he walked inside the building. The paramedic finished taking care of her head wound and moved back inside the ambulance. She was alone. She turned her head and stared across the street right in their direction, locking eyes with Dean, her mouth curling into a half smile. Dean blinked and it was gone, her attention on something else. But in that time her eyes were on him he was chilled to his core. He exhaled, letting go of a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He shook the spooked feeling off and turned the ignition.

"What are you doing? We don't know anything yet." Sam said.

"Its our kind of thing. We need to follow to see where they take the wife, make sure when they bring the kids to her she doesn't hurt them too." Dean explained. "Becca and Andy you said right?" Sam nodded.

A nice hotel. That was where the police dropped Erica off. Not a holding cell where she'd get one phone call to her lawyer but a nice fucking hotel. Dean knew it wouldn't have made a difference, this was their kind of situation, there wasn't a damn thing the cops could do about it, but it still pissed him off. Especially since Sam was looking like someone had kicked his puppy. They watched and waited for the better part of the night but no one else arrived and no one left either. They took turns checking the back exits for any sign that the woman had gone out trolling for another victim.

"I say we go in their and shoot the bitch, I've got silver billets in here." Dean said patting his gun.

"We don't know what the situation is yet Dean. For all we know she could be possessed or under some sort of spell." Sam said tiredly. Dean looked over at his brother then snuck a glance at Jack looking dazedly out the window, cause she might be annoying the hell out of him but he still had to take care of her. It was over twenty four hours since they'd woken in the middle of the night to high tail it to Tucson and they'd just gotten off a gig the day before. Even he was tired.

"We'll pick this up again tomorrow." Dean said. No one protested much. Back at the motel Dean finished laying t he line and charms in the room while Sam collapsed on the bed.

"The visions, they're getting clearer, more focused Dean. What do you think that means?" Sam said with a yawn, his eyes fighting not to close.

"I think it means you're doing something right Sam." Dean said assuring him..

"I broke the glass." Sam said so low Dean thought it might have been his imagination.

"What?" Dean asked, pausing.

"On the bus. I was upset and it just cracked." Sam said with his eyes closed.

"Hmmm." Was all Dean managed. He wasn't sure what to say to that.

"So much for it being a one time thing." Dean said. Sam snorted and turned over in his bed.

Dean waited till his breathing even out then went next door to Jack's room.

"What?" She asked with a blank face.

"You got your spells up?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." She said. An awkward silence followed.

"Good." Dean said and turned to go back to his room. He heard her door close a few seconds after he was inside.

Dean scrubbed the back of his hand over his face and got ready for bed. He wasn't used to being on this end of familial conflict. He was always the peacemaker, between Sam and Dad. He released the clip from his gun and placed his knife under the pillow. The same routine as every other night, the motions so familiar he didn't have to think. That was the appeal, he didn't have to think. No till he was in bed, all his duties for the night done, all the weapons and lines in place. Dean thought briefly of cleaning his guns to stave off thought for a little while longer but Sam's deep, even breathing forced him to drop it. No use having both of them up all night.

It stood in front of the bathroom mirror brushing a comb through this body's hair. It looked down and smiled. Keeping this one for a little longer was a good idea. It was just about to jump into someone else and watch the woman crumble as she remembered what she'd done while It was inside her. But then they arrived. It felt them the coming from miles away. That darkness and doubt bubbling just below the surface. Not the flimsy hurt this woman had suffered at an inconsiderate word from her husband but something deep and tangible. And there were three. And if It wasn't mistaken at least one bore the markings of a psychic.

It smiled, her mouth twisting into a sadistic smile. Inside the woman screamed and cried, begging to die. It fed off this pain, growing stronger with every pathetic whimper. Soon It would have to let this body go, before it dried out and It didn't have the satisfaction of watching her destroy herself, not yet though. Not till they came, not till It tasted one of them.

Dean woke early the next morning, before his brother. Let him sleep, he thought getting dressed. He walked to the diner across the street and bought a cup of coffee for himself and a newspaper. He was scanning the headlines only mildly interested when something on the local page caught his eye.

'Suicide rate in Tucson at its highest in a decade.' The top of the article read. According to the rest of the page, there'd been four suicides in the last month alone. All different people, all with family and friends that claimed they had no indication of mental problems.

Dean sipped at his coffee, took out a pen and circled the article to show Sam and Jack later. Jack, he thought sitting back in his seat. That was a problem.

Dean knew he was overprotective. How could he not be? With what they saw everyday. Anyone could be an enemy with a smiling face. After Meg, Dean didn't push Sam as hard to go out and get some. Except for Sarah and what Sammy didn't know was that he'd very subtly _Cristo_-ed her ass before throwing Sam at her, the way he should have done to Meg before that demonic bitch got her claws into them all those months ago. Difference was, Sam usually let him take care of him. Sam fell back into being the protected younger sibling like he never stopped being that. Jack was an only child, given more freedom while her Uncle was alive than Sam or Dean ever got from their father and after he died, she was alone for nearly three years.

Jack didn't like feeling taken care of, it made her feel weak. Dean knew because he hated being coddled and cared for too. The time in the hospital when he couldn't do much for himself drove him crazy. So, yeah he got it.

Dean's thoughts were going in circles with no reconciliation in sight. This is why Sammy's the smart one, he thought to himself. He shook his head when the waitress tried to refill his cup. His watch read ten a.m., later than they usually slept even when they didn't have a gig, but that still only gave Jack or Sam about six hours of sleep. He folded up his newspaper and ordered three coffees to go.

Jack woke slowly trying to rationalize burrowing deeper into the cheap coverlet and sleeping till sundown. Then the image of police cars and a body bag played across her eyelids and she gave up going back to sleep. She kicked the covers back just as a knock sounded on the door. Three sharp taps, Sam, she thought.

Jack pulled on her jeans from the night before and answered the door. Sam raised his hand in a tired greeting.

"Should I worry about who else might be in there?" He asked.

"Haha." Jack said stepping out of the room.

"You seen Dean?" Sam asked.

"Nah I just got up." Jack answered stretching her shoulder till it popped into a more comfortable position.

"Research?" Sam suggested. Jack nodded and followed him back into the boys room and Sam booted up the laptop. A key scraped into the rusty lock and Dean entered balancing morning coffee in his hands using his foot to close the door behind him.

"Check this out." He said taking a folded newspaper from under his arm for them to see.

"Damn." Jack skimmed the article he'd circled.

"You think there's a connection?" Sam asked.

"Maybe, one of the only connections between the people was that it was like a sudden onset. Completely out of character." Dean said.

"But the article doesn't say anything about deaths of love ones before the suicides." Sam said furrowing his brow as he read.

"I know but I have a feeling. Four suicides in the same area in a month, that's weird." Dean said.

"No names tough. That'll make it hard to check into." Sam said. "I w as thinking about something though."

"That's never a good thing." Dean cracked.

"I was thinking that the place they lived, it probably has security cameras right. So maybe there's something there. At least the wife coming home close to the time of death right?" Sam said hopefully.

"The cops probably already have the footage if there is any." Dean said doubtfully.

"But maybe whoever was manning the cameras last night will be able to tell us something." Sam said.

Dean grinned at him. He loved playing cop.

**TBC………………**

**AN: I wanted to highlight the repress and ignore instinct both Dean and Jack possess here. The way they sort of don't speak to each other directly and don't try at making things okay yet. I hope that came across good. This chapter was actually hard for me to right, took me all day. Thanks for reading and double thanks for reviewing. :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: If they were mine I'd be rich. Sadly I am not.**

"Look at me I'm a grown up." Jack joked when Sam opened the door to see her standing in a dark pant suit she'd bought at the local thrift store with her red hair neatly brushed into a bun and a bit of makeup. She looked older, still young for a cop but older than eighteen.

"Just hope they don't look to closely." Sam teased. Jack rolled her eyes at him.

"Thanks. You clean up good too." She said sarcastically. She looked past him to see Dean exit the bathroom in a suit similar to Sam's, tugging on his tie uncomfortably.

"Remember we talk to the security guy and you check out the apartment, you sense anything off and you get out of there." Sam reminded her parroting Dean's instructions. Jack nodded flipping her fake badge open and reading the name on it again, Elizabeth Reed, she snickered.

"Lets go." Dean said tucking a gun into the small of his back.

The man on security detail tonight was not t he same as the one from the night before but he said he'd spoken to the other security guard. Dean was right in that the real police had already been by to collect all the security tapes from the night before.

"Yeah, he called me to ask if I'd take his shift tonight. He was spooked by what happened last night." The security guard, Russ, told Dean and Sam after they flashed their badges.

"Any particular reason why? Aside from the obvious I mean." Dean asked.

"Aside from the obvious," Russ hesitated.

"Please anything you can tell us would really help." Sam said sincerely.

"He says Mrs. Masters, you know the wife, came home around ten." Russ said dropping his voice as a tenant got off the elevator and walked out the front doors of the lobby.

"And?" Dean pressed.

"And then fifteen minutes later she came back down calm and cool. Then he says she sort of went blank and after a minute she started screaming about finding her husband dead. Was really going nuts that's how she banged her head, on the desk." He pointed to a piece of the desk with a knick in it.

"She was in shock?" Sam asked.

"That's not the weird thing though." Russ continued.

"Then what is?" Dean asked.

"He says when he went to help her up her eyes were all fucked- I mean messed up." The man said amending his language in front of the "officers".

"Messed up how?" Dean asked seriously.

"Black, like no white or nothing." Russ said. "I didn't believe it. I thought maybe my buddy had fallen off the wagon again."

"Do you believe him now?" Sam asked sensing that there was more.

"I don't know I-" Russ ran his hand through his short graying hair. "When the cops came to collect the tapes I got curious." Russ said, his eyes darting quickly between them, expecting to get into trouble for whatever he did.

"Don't worry, this is all off the record." Dean assured the man.

"Anyway, I got a little curious so I made them wait up here while I went to go get the tapes." Russ started again more relaxed now.

"You looked at the tapes." Dean said.

"Yeah/" Russ said starting to look spooked himself. "They were all static for that floor of the building. All static and some blurry dark shadow thing in some of the frames."

Sam looked at Dean thinking the same thing he was. A demon was possessing Erica Masters.

"Thank you sir, you've been a huge help." Sam said smiling at Russ.

"We're going to have a look around upstairs. If its not too much trouble." Dean told him. Russ nodded looking grave.

Jack was already up their having gone up the back stairs through the building. The man wouldn't have believed three detectives coming to ask one man a few questions.

Jack entered the apartment ducking under the yellow police tape. The door wasn't even locked. She edge around not touching anything, the last thing she needed was for some asshole to pick up her prints and run up her priors, that would be a fun game of show and tell. She made her way to the dining room area where the man was killed. More crime scene tape and a white sheet over the floor where a tape outline was where the body had been. Dark rosettes of dried blood spotted the carpet with several spots of it on the wall to the right of the outline.

They table had been cleared, she saw with disappointment. If the damn cops had left the table as is she could have used the candles to get a fix on what happened here. A nearly inaudible sound came from the living room and Jack smoothly took her pistol out from under her jacket. She walked stealthily out of the dining room with her gun pointed straight ahead and the safety off.

"Woah, hey now. I know we're in a thing but you don't have to shoot me." Dean said putting his hands up. Jack exhaled and lowered her gun thumbing the safety back on.

"You get anything out of the guard?" She asked. Dean nodded but it was Sam who filled her in on the details.

"Sounds like a demonic possession." Sam said.

"So we break out the Latin and prayer beads?" Jack asked.

"Looks like. Ever been to an exorcism before?" Sam asked.

"Once. Didn't like it the first time around." Jack answered grimacing at the memory.

"You won't like it the second time around either." Dean said shortly walking past her to the dining room.

"Maybe we can get something from the spill patterns." He called out to them.

Sam looked over the bloodstains from very angle he could think but he couldn't make out any relevance to them at all. He could see from the look on Dean's face that he knew it too.

"Well that was a bust." Dean said.

"We don't really need to know the exact demon though do we?" Jack asked.

"No but it might've helped to know. Maybe guess its next move." Sam said straightening up from his kneeling position on the floor.

"You catch anything? There were candles in here right, Sammy?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." Sam answered.

"They took them, so I couldn't get anything from the place." Jack said.

A door opened and closed and the three went quiet, waiting.

"You've got about ten minutes." A man's voice said. A couple of low murmurs that sounded too young to be their mark were heard.

Dean gestured for the other two to follow him though the kitchen to the left of the dining area, concealed from the living room.

He froze and made a move for his gun when he saw that the kitchen was occupied. By Erica Masters. She looked at them curiously. She was dressed head to toe in black with her make up immaculate and a perfectly planned sorrowful look on her pretty features.

Dean saw Jack thumb the safety off her gun again with a dark look in her eyes and he telegraphed her not to do anything. He took his hand from behind his jacket and gave the woman a charming smile.

"I'm detective Perry ma'am and these are my associates, Detective's Reed and Tyler." Dean said pointing at Jack then Sam.

"I had no idea so many people were on my husband's case. I'm grateful for the work you're doing on our behalf." She said smoothly extending a hand to Dean. He eyed it carefully, but Jack beat him to the handshake. A flicker of pain crossed the woman's features as Jack pressed her hand into hers, with a St. Michael medallion in her palm that she'd slipped there.

"We'll do our best ma'am and you have our deepest condolences." Jack said holding on when the woman tried to pull away.

Finally Erica wrenched her hand free keeping the pleasant smile on her face. Jack tried not to look smug as she let Dean pull her back behind him with a scowl on his face.

"Mrs. Masters?" A uniformed cop came through the kitchen door. He stopped when he saw them standing a few feet from her. His nametag said May on it. Dean almost snorted, what kind of name was that for a cop?

"Who are you?" Officer May asked.

"These are detectives." Erica answered.

"I don't know them." Officer May said suspiciously. Dean was saved from having to make up a story by a young guy stomping into the room. He glared at everyone there with eyes that were beat red.

"Can we go now? Becca's crying in her room." He said.

"Of course honey." Erica said softly. She reached out her hand to her son but he flinched away from her touch. He looked at the officer and the three strangers there and nodded walking back out the room with a tell tale sniffle.

"He's very upset by all this." Erica explained to them.

"That's to be expected." Dean said back to her.

"I think we have everything we need." Dean said. They walked out with the group which was joined by a young girl of about thirteen who was crying into her brother's jacket. They had a couple of backpacks full of clothes and miscellaneous things. Before they parted ways Dean saw Erica ran her hand over the top of the young girls head in a seemingly maternal gesture. She closed her eyes momentarily and a flush showed faintly for a moment. When she opened her eyes they glittered with a feral, hungry gleam.

'She feeds off the pain.' Dean thought tearing his eyes from her to get into the elevator with Jack and Sam, separate from 'Erica', Officer May and the kids.

"Tonight. First we get the kids out then we go for the bitch." Dean said. "And don't pull that shit again." He added to Jack.

"She bit her lip to keep from shoving her foot down her throat and nodded. When push came to shove, all personal shit aside, when Dean gave an order about a hunt you shut the fuck up and listened. Because he knew more than either Her or Sam. Besides she wasn't about to admit a method to her madness back in the house. That she didn't that thing touching Dean because the first and only exorcism she ever saw, when she was five and still living in Louisiana, was a kind of demon that could body jump through touch alone. Hell no.

**TBC……………….**

**AN: Next chapter is the exorcism. Then the real action starts. Stayed tuned folks…..**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing the boys. I'll try to give them back in one piece but I give no guarantees. **

Quick recon told Dean that the family was staying on the fifth floor of the hotel in a room facing towards the street. It also told him that the hotel was anything but empty. If they could they'd have to make this as quick and quiet as possible; he knew form experience that it wasn't likely to go that way though so he memorized the lay out making up a quick escape rout for when the shit hit the fan. Then he drove back to the motel where Jack and Sammy were putting together their supplies for the exorcism.

When he opened the door to he and Sam's room Sam looked up from the book in his hands and tossed him something.

"Gris-Gris?" Dean asked looking over the little bag.

"A precaution." Sam said.

"You got everything?" Dean asked.

"Almost." Sam said distractedly frowning at a particular passage.

"You'd think were naked chicks on that paper, the way you're looking at it." Dean joked.

"Only the witch hag kind." Sam said.

"Okay we're getting you a subscription to Playboy." Dean said.

"Jerk." Sam said shaking his head.

"Bitch." Dean retorted tossing his little bag in the air and catching it.

"Gonna take a shower. We've still got time." Dean said putting the bag in his jacket pocket.

Once the door was closed Dean let his eyes close. He felt a flood of anger when he was flooded with the image of that thing threading its fingers through the little girl's hair. The way those kids looked at it with trust and dependence. Expecting their mother to make everything better again, because that just what mom's did. Unbidden Dean thought of the nightmares Sam had nightly, the pain in his eyes when he woke from them. That same look of trust and dependence he gave Dean, expecting him to make everything better because that's just what _Dean_ did. Dean shook his head hard, no time for that.

If it fed off of pain then with the three of them it would have a veritable all you can eat buffet.

Dean emerged to see Jack sitting on his bed with Sam nowhere in sight.

"He had to get something from the car." Jack said. Dean nodded and didn't say anything. He grabbed some clothes and went back into the bathroom to get dressed. He went back out into the room and picked his jacket up off the back if the chair. He took the Gris-Gris out of his pocket.

"Thanks." He said to Jack holding up the little bag. She gave him a half smile.

"Don't thank me yet, you're jacket's gonna smell like moldy herbs tomorrow." Jack said.

"The ladies will love that." Dean said.

"I guess you'll have to rely on your charm." Jack said. "In other words you're screwed." Dean snorted and they looked at one another in a temp truce.

A snip of the wires and the alarm on the emergency exit in back of the hotel is a goner and they can go in quietly.

"Don't believe anything it says." Dean cautioned on their way up the back stairs. "These things look into you, they say things just to throw you off, distract you."

Jack nodded running her fingers over the brass knuckles on her left hand. Sam was reading the words in Dad's journal again and again so just in case he lost his grip on the book during the thing he'd still know what to say.

Their first concern was getting the kids away from Mommy Dearest so the demon couldn't use them as human shields. After that everything else was fair game.

"What do we tell the kids?" Jack asked.

"We-" Sam stopped when they rounded the corner to the hallway where their demon was and ran into the kids in question. Andy's hand was on the door knob and his sister was holding an ice bucket in her hands, sniffling softly. They both looked exhausted. Andy looked up, saw them and stiffened.

"Hey, Andy right?" Dean came forward with a charming smile. "Do you remember us from this afternoon?"

"The detectives." Andy said in a dull voice.

"Yeah, would you mind coming with us for a minute?" Dean said beckoning them away from the door.

"What for?" Andy asked tiredly.

"We want to ask you a few things." Dean said.

"At ten o'clock at night" Andy asked suspiciously. "I think you should talk to my mom."

He moved to turn the handle but Dean crossed the hall fast and put a hand on his to stop him.

"I'm gonna level with you. We think the suspect might be here now. I want you to take your sister outside right now while I get your mom." Dean said intensely. The boy met his eyes first with disbelief then fear.

"And you'll get my mom." Andy asked.

"Yeah we'll get her." Sam assured him. Andy hesitated, opened his mouth and closed it again.

"I want to go." Becca whispered fearfully. That was all it took for Andy to make the decision to trust them.

"Where should we go?" Andy asked Dean.

"There's a place across the street, just lay low there until me or one of my friends comes to get you." Dean said referring to a coffee shop across the street from them. It was closed but they could sit on the benches in front without being disturbed.

Andy nodded and took the ice bucket from his little sister, t hen escorted her to the elevators, giving one last glance at the trio before pressing the button and disappearing inside.

"When in doubt scare the shit out 'em." Jack said.

"Damn Skippy." Dean said.

"Everyone ready?" Sam asked taking out his gun. Dean and Jack followed suit. Once they got to the actual exorcism they two were going to hold the bitch down while Sam said the words.

Dean went in first, with Sam second and Jack bringing up the rear. It was too quiet inside, the calm before the storm. The main room was empty, all the lights out. Sam reached into his knapsack and handed the vials of holy water to Dean and Jack. A light was shining through the crack under the master bedroom door. Silently Dean and Jack moved to flank Sam. Dean put his hand on the knob and turned to nod at them to ready themselves.

Dean was hardly through the door when she attacked, slicing at him with a butcher's knife. He put up his arm to block her and Jack pushed her sideways spinning her around to slam into the wall.

"Sam hang back!" Dean said when Sam was about to put the book down and help them.

Jack pressed the inscription on the knuckles into the possessed woman's flesh and she dropped the knife. Dean and Jack each grabbed an arm and drove her back onto the large bed that dominated the room.

"Sammy now!" Dean yelled.

The woman was bucking and thrashing wildly, too strong for either to let go of them. She turned her head and sank her teeth into Jack's arm tearing into the soft flesh. Jack gritted her teeth and put all her weight into holding it down

It looked at them with blackened rage filled eyes and grinned maliciously. Dean felt something pressing into his mind trying to get in. Trying to see into him. He pushed back fighting back as though it were physical, barring it entrance. He tried not to show it his fear for the others.

Sam was reading the words aloud as fast as he could when he felt the presence there.

'_Your fault. All your fault. Always your fault. They'll all die because of you' _A cold voice slithered into his mind.

"No." He said clenching his teeth.

"Sam the spell." Dean said.

'_He hates you. Hates you for leaving. Hates you for needing so much.' _It continued, whispering Sam's insecurities.

"Don't listen to it!" Dean said. It was just as he feared, it couldn't get into him so it was attacking Sam.

Sam fought it tooth and nail forcing himself to see past what It was saying to his brother. His brother taking care of him. His brother telling him it was alright, even if Sam didn't always believe it.

Jack tried to ignore her blood coating her lips. She tried not to hear the voice in her head.

'_They'll leave you. When the demon is dead. You're just a weapon. Just convenient. When its done you'll be obsolete' _The malicious voice said.

"Shut up Bitch!" Jack roared.

'_They'll find out and hate you. Just like you hate yourself.' _

"I don't!" Jack said. "They won't care."

"Jack listen to me." Dean was saying. Distantly she heard Sam start the Latin words up again but all she could focus on was the words and the images they conjured up. Blood and bile. Pain.

'_Brian cared.' _The last words said with such cruel amusement are what made Jack freeze. What made her grip slacken enough for her to be tossed like a rag doll across the room.

"Jack!" Sam called before the thing rushed at him, his attention momentarily distracted what happened.

Dean was right on its back blinded by anger. He didn't see anything but the thing trying to hurt his own. He grabbed a handful of the woman's hair yanking her backward long enough for Sam to get the fuck out of the way. She whirled on him shrieking. He smirked at her and drew his knife out. The two circled one another.

Sam looked at his brother and saw the dark look in his eyes, that smile that meant something was going to die. Painfully if he had it his way. He turned away from the two combatants to see if Jack was alright.

"You good?" He asked coming to her side. She flinched from his touch for a second then blinked up at him and nodded taking his hand. As soon as she was on her feet she pulled a small blade from under her sleeve and advanced on the two facing off in the center of the room. Sam picked up the discarded journal and started reading aloud where he left off. He didn't care if she attacked him, he just wanted this done now.

Dean slashed at the woman darting in and out of her reach to get at her before she got her hands on him. He kept them moving in a tight circle trading blows with it. A blur of red on his peripheral and he moved out of the way in time for Jack land a punch straight to its jaw.

"Better not have been meant for me." He said, his eyes flashing proudly as the combination of the force of the blow and the inscription knocked it to the ground for a few precious seconds.

"Naw, I wouldn't hurt that face." Jack said smiling viciously.

The spell was nearly done, the possessed woman subdued when the boy arrived.

"Mom! What's going on!" Andy cried running into the room. He looked wildly around him, at his mother on the floor and bent down to help her up.

"Don't!" Jack screamed trying to stop him.

"I told you to stay outside!" Dean said at the same time.

As soon as Andy touched his fallen mother she grabbed hold of him by the throat and opened her mouth. Black smoke oozed out of every orifice filtering into the young boy. They tried, all three of them to get her off of them, but the briefest taste of their darkness had made it stronger.

"Fuck!" Dean was thrown backwards by its power, Sam landed hard on top of him. He couldn't see where Jack landed cause his vision started to cloud after his head collided with the one of the bed posts.

He forced himself up and Sam pushed himself off his brother so they could see what was happening. Erica was shaking violently on the floor shrieking at the top of her lungs and Andy was looking down at with a look of complete detachment. He looked at them, his eyes going black and turned to run out the door. Sam grabbed for the knife Dean dropped and threw it as hard as he could getting the boys leg, but he just kept on going.

"Damnit!" Dean jumped to his feet. Jack used the bureau she'd hit to pull herself up.

"We have to get him." She said.

"What do we do with her?" Sam asked. Erica was now curled up in a ball on the floor crying and clutching her head.

"Hey? Look at me? Do you remember anything?" Dean said kneeling in front of the woman. She cowered away from him.

"We're trying to help. Your son is in trouble." Dean tried again.

"I killed him! I killed him!" She screamed rocking back and forth.

"We have to shut her up." Dean said. He didn't want to leave her in the state she was in but her son was possessed now and alone with her daughter probably.

Jack got up and pulled the sheets off the bed using her knife to cut strips as fast as she could.

"Sam help me hold her." Dean said getting the idea.

Sam nodded closed the bedroom door and joined his brother. Together they gently pried Erica's hands from around her head. Without the demon inside her she was much easier to subdue. Jack gagged her and tied a piece of cotton around her mouth to secure it, effectively muffling her screams. Next came her hands tied securely behind her back.

"Now listen to me Erica." Dean said staring into the woman's red tear streaked face.

"In a few minutes security is going to come up here and your going to have to tell them that everything is fine. That you had a nightmare about your husband's murder and that you're fine now." Dean said forcefully trying to get some semblance of reason through to the woman. She shook her head and sobbed.

"Your kids are in danger and we need you to say those things and only those things. Sam chimed in. At the second mention of her children Erica stilled. She still looked terrified but she wasn't fighting against them anymore. A knock sounded at the door.

"Mrs. Masters? Mrs. Masters, this is hotel security, we had a report of a disturbance. Can you please open the door?" The man on the other side of the door said pounding harder on the door.

"Please Erica." Sam said. She was breathing hard and fast looking unsure as she nodded. Dean nodded to Jack who pulled the woman to her feet and took her to the door. When they got there she cautiously removed the gag from Erica's mouth.

"Mrs. Masters?" The security guard said again, banging on the door.

"I'm fine." Erica said in shaky voice. Silence on the other side of the door.

"Are you sure? The other tenants say they heard screaming coming from your room." The security guard asked.

"I had a n-nightmare about m-my my husband." Erica stumbled over the words. "I think I'm okay now."

"Mrs. Masters maybe you should open the door." The security guard said doubt clear in his voice.

"No. no please can you just leave me and my children alone. Please." Erica said, her voice stronger this time.

There was a long pause. Too long. The longer the boy was on the loose the harder it would be to track him.

"Alright Mrs. Masters." The guard finally said. They could hear him hesitate at the door then turn to leave out the way he came.

Erica crumpled to the ground as soon as he was gone, Jack begin the only thing that kept her from hitting the floor. Jack hoisted the woman up and carried her to the bed.

"Should we leave her tied up?" Sam asked looking at the unconscious woman.

"Yeah. She might hurt herself when she wakes up." Jack said hoarsely. Sam looked at Dean who nodded in agreement and they picked up their weapons and prepared to leave.

A fast look up and down the empty, deceivingly peaceful halls and they went out the way they came. They'd already lost at least ten much needed minutes. They hurried out the back running around the front of the hotel to see if by some small stroke of luck Becca was still there alone. Their bad luck held, she wasn't there.

"C'mon." Dena said through gritted teeth trying to drown out the image of the scared girl out of his mind.

"Dean." Jack said as they walked. She watched the ground close as she walked not meeting his eyes even when the got to the car.

"I'm sorry." She said biting so hard into her lip that she drew blood.

"Its not your fault." Dean said automatically opening his door and sliding in. Jack didn't believe him; if that girl died tonight it would be her fault for letting that thing get to her. She forced back it back and got into the back seat.

Sam made it into the passenger side before the pain started. He never thought he'd been so grateful for the pain that proceeded a vision but this time he was. He clenched his teeth bracing himself.

Dean stopped before turning the key in the ignition and put his hand on Sam's back and the other hand on his chest so that when it hit Sam wouldn't hit his head on the dash board. Sam cried out in pain, shooting forward as the onslaught of images started. He saw Andy in what looked like a burned out building. He swa him tying his little sister to a rusty chair and withdrawing the knife Sam had embedded in his leg.

"A building. An old-abandoned building. He's going to kill her." Sam gasped out fighting through the pain filled haze.

"You alright?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. Yeah we have to go. We have to hurry." Sam insisted rubbing his forehead.

"Did you see where?" Dean asked starting the car.

"I think its by where we were staying. A burnt out building somewhere over there." Sam said.

"Jack?" Dean glanced back at her but her eyes were already shut, a look of concentration of her features.

Jack expanded her awareness, tapping into that side if herself that always burned. She felt past the small pulls of energy- a lighter being sparked, a tiny house fire across the city- trying to find something older.

"Turn right three streets down from our motel. Then go straight. Its a bunch of buildings. I'm not sure which one." Jack said.

"You guys are better than lojack." Dean said stepping on the ignition.

**TBC………..**

**AN: Hope you enjoyed this installment. More action, a lot more angst on the way. Reviews, reviews, reviews. A girl can never have to many of them. BTW…Paint It Black- totally the theme song of this chapter.:D**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: If I owned Supernatural I'd drive the Metallicar everywhere blasting Triumph-Fight The Good Fight.**

"We're not splitting up. Stay close and we'll check building to building." Dean said cocking his gun.

"Why here?" Jack asked looking around at the buildings.

"If this thing feeds off misery then what better place to look than this place?" Dean said gesturing all around them. The buildings were either abandoned or looked like they should be. No one would bat an eye at hearing a scream there.

"True." Jack said.

"I think I hear something." Sam shushed them. Walking further between the buildings he heard a high pitched scream that broke off into a sob. It was faint and far away but years of his father's training made him pick up the sound.

They made their way between the buildings towards the sound. Sam heard a scratching to his right and glanced that away expecting to see Jack ready to blow away whatever was there. But the spot she'd just occupied was empty. Dean looked to his left to ask Dean where she was and he was gone too. Sam turned this way and that looking for them but he saw only the dark outlines of buildings. He was alone.

A flicker to her side that Jack turned her head to investigate and she'd somehow gotten separated from the others. She pulled the extra gun she'd brought along, feeling more secure with a gun in each hand and skulked through the shadows looking for signs of where Sam or Dean might be.

Dean should have checked on them one more time before turning that blind corner. It was a rookie mistake and he'd lost track of Sammy and Jack. His father would have his ass for getting himself turned around without backup.

"Sammy! Jack!" He called. No point in playing it quiet. The thing knew they were coming. He saw the shadows shift. Dean took out an old bandana from his pocket and tied it around the rusty remains of a railing on one of the buildings so he'd know if he was going in circles and started from there.

"Your not my dad." Sam said stubbornly.

"Now Sammy. Is that any way to talk to your old man?" The John impersonator smiled at him.

Sam felt a flood of hatred towards the demon doing this. He couldn't shake the memory of the cabin, their dad being possessed. Dean nearly dieing. The smell of blood and fear invaded his senses as he remembered that night.

"You don't deserve to be here. You were never as good a hunter as Dean." It said with their dad's disapproving frown.

"I'm not listening to you." Sam said walking back the way he came. It hadn't tried to hurt him physically, which was worse in so many ways.

A high familiar whistle filled the air. Jack flinched from the noise. She couldn't hear that song anymore, not without a feeling of dread, not since the hospital.

"What's this wearing your heart on your sleeve bit about, Sparks?" A shadow wearing her uncle's face stepped out of the shadows.

"Girl I knew wouldn't have been so obvious." He gave an open friendly smile. "Seems like either way you're a danger to everyone around you."

"Fuck you." She said narrowing her eyes. She bit t he inside of her cheek, trying not to think that it was right.

"Thought you buried it all right?" He said wagging a finger at her.

"Eh, maybe when your buddies caught you with that guy it brought all those dark feelings back." He had Chris's thick drawl down to a tee, even the way he held a cigarette.

"Yeah, I'm a hurt little puppy." She said sarcastically folding her arms over her chest. She fought through the rush of emotions, pain, sadness and rage to get to the calm she could summon up like armor against the world.

The NotChris flinched and almost dropped his cigarette. She smiled and cocked her head to the side.

"What's wrong? Nothing to feed your illusion?" She asked sweetly. Detached from everything she raised her guns loaded with pure iron bullets and unloaded. The man burst into a smoky shadow. She wiped away the telltale moisture that filled her eyes and started back the way she came.

Dean grit his teeth and tried to keep his cool. He'd passed the bandana again. He was going in circles. From the street it hadn't looked like there were enough buildings to make this maze. The demon was doing his, Sam and Jack were probably just around the corner, looking for him.

_'Why would they look for you?'_ A nearly inaudible whisper said. He forced it out, humming a song under his breath. He'd learned long ago that sometimes the simplest things can protect you.

Two gunshots cut through the eerie quiet. Dean pulled a flare from the knapsack he was carrying and set it off illuminating the alley. It was just what he'd thought, an illusion. He could see the glint of silver on Jack's guns down one of the alleys. He was standing in front of a building set a few hundred feet apart from the others. Just as Dean was about to call out to her a door opened behind him with a rusty shriek and he spun to look into Andy's blacked out eyes and twisted smile.

Sam heard the gunshots and ran towards them ignoring the whispers in the shadows. His worry for whoever was shooting over rode the fears the demon was exploiting.

"Sam! Dean!" Jack was calling out somewhere up ahead.

"Over here!" Sam called back hearing his voice echo. Her boot heels clicked on the broken pavement and flare light caught his attention. Sam saw Jack running towards him both guns drawn and Dean standing a ways back in front of a familiar building, squinting in the dark using the flare in his hands as a flashlight. Jack looked behind her and saw the same thing.

"Dean! That's the place." Sam called out recognizing the building from his vision. Then a door opened behind Dean and he was snatched inside by Andy.

"Dean!" Sam yelled running forward.

The two got to the door and tried to open it. It was stuck closed. They tried pulling together, kicking at the door and jamming their shoulders against it but nothing worked. Jack battered her fists against it till t hey bled and then yanked at it some more.

"Fuck! Its got Dean!" Sam yelled hitting his shoulder so hard against the steel door he felt something slip out of place. They heard a deep yell of pain and froze.

"Step back." Jack said puling Sam back from the door.

"If you shoot it the bullets will ricochet." Sam told her.

"Not going to shoot it. Stay a few feet from me Sam and whatever you do don't move ." Jack said running back several yards.

"You're going to blow it." Sam said eyes widening. "But Dean's in there."

Another cry of pain that they recognized as Dean's and Jack looked at him. Sam nodded and stood a few steps away from her, staying to her left. Jack's jaw set determinedly and she called her fire directing it at the door. Sam watched as Jack's pupils dilated and a flush started at her neck. The fire she called encompassed about half the door but the door wasn't budging. The demon was using its power to keep them out.

Jack called more power, more than she'd ever used. The flame battering the door grew till it was a cyclone of flames, they could barely see around. Sam held up his hand against the heat. He saw Jack's fists clench and her knees start to shake as she threw more and more at it, her pupils were blown leaving only a thing chase of brown there. Sam reached out just as her knees buckled and caught her before she hit the ground. One of her hands went up pushing with everything she had till the door and the demon's power gave way. The thick steel door burst inside and the fire dissipated almost immediately.

"Jack! Are you okay?" Sam asked. She looked up at him dazed and nodded. He noticed then that they were both soaked with sweat.

Jack pushed herself to her feet swaying slightly. They ran to the building and through the doorway. There Dean was on the floor with the boy straddling his chest holding his head. Dark smoke was filtering between them going form Andy to Dean. Dean was bucking wildly trying to knock the boy off of him to no avail.

It all happened so fast. Sam and Jack raised their weapons and Dean threw Andy off of them making t hem hesitate. Then Dean stood with his eyes closed and opened them.

"No." Sam got out before Dean laughed and threw a wave of power at them, knocking them back against the wall.

Dean raged inside. He fought for control, a mental struggle with the thing that had invaded him. He watched as it threw his little brother and Jackie Girl across the room with little effort. He watched as his hand picked up the gun he'd dropped and cock it back. He walked up to his brother who was groaning and clutching his shoulder and stopped in front of him.

"NO!" Dean screamed mentally as he put the gun to his brothers head.

**TBC…………………………**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Mine All Mine. No not the boys, the candy I just ate. **

Sam looked up and into the barrel of his brother's .45. Dean was looking down at him with a look of sadistic glee.

"Dean." Sam said ashamed of the way his voice trembled. "Dean please."

Dean's finger started to pull back on the trigger, the click echoing. Everything else faded to a distant buzz when Sam heard that _click. _Sam closed his eyes silently forgiving his brother when an inhuman snarl tore from Dean's lips. Sam's eyes jacked open to see Dean stumbled backwards clutching his skull.

"You fucker! I'll kill you!" Dean was screaming. Sam watched Dean struggling against himself cursing the demon trying to regain control.

"I'll kill myself before I let you hurt him!" Dean howled. To Sam's horror he brought his shaky gun wielding hand to his head positioning the gun over his temple.

"No! Dean don't!" Sam screamed trying to get to his feet. He felt something burst out of him and his vision went white for a spilt second. He heard a metallic twang and a gunshot.

A wave of terror filled Sam as his vision cleared, expecting to see his brother dead on the floor. Instead Dean was shaking his eyes going from black to hazel like a flickering light bulb. The gun was flying across the room, having misfired and grazed Dean's forehead. It took Sam a moment to realize what he'd done. He'd moved it, torn the gun from Dean's grasp just as he was going to kill himself to save Sam.

"Dean." Sam stood on rubbery legs, pain making him stumble towards his brother.

Dean looked at him, eyes wide with fear and guilt, then Dean was gone. It sneered at him and hit Sam so hard he fell back to the ground. Sam fought not to pass out, but the pain was too much. Sam heard a low whimper, realized it was him and everything went black.

Sam came to minutes later with a pounding in his skull. He had a moment of panic, breathing hard, near tears, bile rising in his mouth which he swallowed back down letting it burn a path down his throat. Dean almost died. Dean tried to kill himself. It had Dean. Dean would die before he let that thing use him to hurt anyone, especially Sammy.

As his paralyzing fear ebbed away, Sam felt a sort of calm start inside. Like the eye of a storm. His thoughts worked out t hat they needed to get out of there. They needed to get Dean back. Him and Jack were on their own now.

Jack. Sam looked around for her. There, against the wall a feet from him. She wasn't moving. Sam crawled to her side and turned her over. Jack's skin was clammy and pale, her lips deathly white. She moaned a little letting him know she was still alive. Sam felt a bit of relief at that. He used the wall as leverage to pull himself to his feet, trying not to vomit and slowly regain his footing. Once he felt relatively steady he bent over and picked Jack up from the ground. She was heavy in his weakened arms and it took him time to get them out of the building. Then he remembered Becca and Andy. Looking back and forth and seeing nothing of Dean Sam placed Jack on the dirty remnants of some stairs outside a nearby building and went back inside for the little girl.

Sam stumbled inside spotting Becca in a corner tied to a chair. She was staring vacantly ahead making Sam think for a second that she was dead already. There was no blood though, nothing to indicate that Andy had hurt her again. She was just in shock, deep shock. Sam used his knife to cut her free and pulled her from the building, putting her on the staircase next to Jack before returning for Andy. Thankfully the boy was knocked out. Sam decided to bring the car around, drop them at the nearest hospital and let them deal with the kids. By the time he got to the street where they'd parked the Impala he saw that it was gone.

Sam got up enough energy to kick an old spray paint can instantly regretting it as another wave of nausea resulted in the action. H looked to his left and right gauging the distance between where he left the other three and where the more populated part of the neighborhood was. Wondering if he would be able to get to them in time if something went wrong(again, he thought) while he tried to find a car to "borrow" for them. He thought of his brother, the image of Dean looking terrified for him and pointing the gun at himself.

Ten minutes later Sam backed the stolen Toyota up to where Jack and the kids were. The car was on its last leg but it was all he could find close by. When he got out of the car he saw Jack doubled over the side of the stairs throwing up. Sam rushed to her side holding his shoulders so she wouldn't fall over. She was shaking violently and clutching her head like it was going to come apart.

"Its okay. Its okay." He soothed pushing her hair back from her face. Mimicking what Dean said when the visions made Sam ill.

"I never…fuck…so sorry…" Jack was sputtering leaning back against Sam.

"C'mon." Sam said picking her up and putting her into the car. She curled up in the seat still holding her head.

Next the kids were placed in the backseat. Sam bit through his bottom lip using that pain to distract from his migraine as he drove to the emergency room down a few more blocks. He felt bad about just dumping them in front of it and leaving but Dean was more important.

"Sam….Sammy." Jack whispered, her eyes shut tight against the agony. She never knew it could hurt like this.

"We're going to the motel now Jack. We'll get fixed and then…." Sam trailed off. He didn't have anything else to say, he didn't know what they were going to do. Find Dean, yeah that was obvious but it was the how that he didn't know.

"T-talk to me. Keep me awake. I can't-" Jack moaned in pain. "Keep me talking…p-please."

"Oh, yeah okay." Sam said pinching the bridge of his nose. "Um what was the story with the exorcism you saw?"

Jack braced herself to speak. She could make it through the pain if she had something else to concentrate on.

"I was-I was five and M-momma Fonty was goin out…" Jack swallowed the sourness in her mouth. She nearly gagged again but held it back.

"She said I couldn't go out with her….It wasn't my business. So I followed her."

"Did you know where she was going?" Sam asked.

"No. Else I would've stayed my ass home." Jack's short laugh came out as more of a wheeze.

"She was assisting in the ritual. They had to tie it down so it couldn't touch anyone. That h-how it moved…it got the possessed man's daughter though, made her cut her own throat." Jack stumbled over the words. Sam was starting to regret picking this topic.

"She was the same age as me, we played together." Jack finished.

"I'm sorry." Sam said. "One of the Deva's children had a woman named Meg. We exorcised it but she died anyway."

"You exorcised one of them? How'd you…?" Jack stopped and covered her mouth to keep from getting sick in the front seat of the car.

"Key of Solomon. We used it to keep her still. Keep it from attacking either of us." Sam said. He skidded to a stop in front of the motel and got out running around to the other side to get Jack out.

"Sammy?" Jack asked, letting him carry her up the stairs to the room.

"Yeah." Sam asked leaning against the railing for support. His other shoulder was aching and he knew it was dislocated.

"I'm sorry I fucked up and let go." Jack said.

"Its not your fault. It got to me too." Sam said speaking past the lump in his throat.

Then they were Dean and Sam's room. Sam laid Jack down gently on his bed and went to double the salt lines at the door.

He staggered, the dizziness catching up with him again and grabbed Dean's bag digging for the painkillers there. He took two out, one for him and one for Jack. They couldn't afford to take more than that, t hey needed their wits about them. He went to bathroom and filled a cup with water downing t he first one for himself and refilling the cup for Jack. He held the cup to her lips letting her gulp down a mouthful to rid herself of the taste in her mouth then he slipped the pill past her lips and pressed the cup there again. Lights weren't an option, the pain would double, so they sat in the dark, shell shocked.

"What did it say to you?" Jack asked, suddenly needing to know very much. She was almost to the point of screaming at the top of her lungs for letting go back at the hotel. Dean was in trouble now. And Sam was hurt. He tried to hide it but she could feel the way he favored his arm while carrying her.

"It said Dean hated me. That people would get hurt because of me. That I wasn't good enough." Sam whispered. It was easier to say these things aloud when you couldn't look into the eyes of the person you said them to.

"It told me I was just a useful thing to you guys. That I was weak and a danger to you both." Jack said. She hated that she had to sniffle. This pain was her punishment, a well deserved one for fucking up, she thought.

"It isn't true." Sam said. She wasn't sure if she meant it to be for what it told him or her or both. The painkillers were starting to work taking a little of the edge off.

"Let me fix your shoulder." Jack said even though she could barely sit up.

"Its fine." Sam lied.

"We have to hurry up and find a way to get Dean." Jack reminded Sam. She found herself pulling her weight up by t he headboard and edging towards Sam in the dark.

Sam let her fingers probe skillfully the injury in the dark then when he least expected it she twisted it with all her strength and popped it back into place. He cried out fell back, the pain dissolving an instant later. Sam was panting with the remnants of pain. Jack pressed on the pressure points around his shoulder knowing where to touch to make it easier. Her own pain was starting to ebb away bringing a sense of clarity.

"We should call my dad." He said after he caught his breath. "Ask him what he knows about this kind of demon."

"An Missouri. Maybe she can read the cards. Give us an idea." Jack suggested. She felt Sam nod in agreement.

"First I want to talk to Erica though. Find out what she remembers about this thing." Sam said. Making a plan, even a scant one helped him keep it together.

"Your arm is still bleeding." Sam said dully remembering Erica biting into her arm.

"I'm getting a little tired of these things always trying to bite me." Jack tried to make her tone light and failed miserably. She pulled off her long sleeve shirt and tore the sleeve handing it to Sam to tie around her upper arm. The dark wife beater underneath was sticky with sweat like everything else they wearing.

"He'll be okay." Jack said. "He's toughing than It is. It got to us before it got to him. He'll be okay." She was trying to assure herself of this as much as Sam.

"Yeah, Dean's strong." Sam agreed wiping the back of his hand over his face. How long could a person fight though? How long could Dean fight?

**TBC………………………..**

**AN: Oooh even I was on the edge of my seat while writing this. The next chapter is all going to be Dean and the Demon inside him trying to break him. Expect some looks into Dean's mind, some of his regrets and fears, things he wouldn't even share with his dad. And later on a phone cameo by John and Missouri. Till then kiddies……..**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: If I owned them, believe me I'd gloat on an hourly basis.**

**AN1: The demon talking will be in Italics. And Dean's flashbacks will be in Bold.**

* * *

Dean was in the abandoned building but he wasn't. It was an illusion, his mind trying to rationalize what was happening by showing him the last place he'd been before It took over. He paced up and down the lengths of the cracked cement floor replaying what nearly happened.

He put a gun to Sam's head. He was half a second from pulling the trigger, the demon showing him images of what would happen, how the bullet would rip through bone like it was paper. And Sam, Sammy would be gone. And Dean knew that if that had happened he wouldn't have had the will to fight it anymore and keep it from killing countless other with his body.

He had a flash of pride remembering Sam knocking that gun out of his hand. That got the motherfucker good and pissed.

Dean heard footsteps behind him and turned to face himself. He was grinning at Dean manically.

_"You're a tough one I'll give you that." _He said_. "And that brother of yours…, maybe when I'm done with you I'll take him for a ride."_

"Don't you touch my brother!" Dean snarled.

_"I was going to take the girl at first. Those deep dark secrets were tempting." _He told Dean, completely unfazed by his anger.

_But I thought that if a man like you had built walls that thick there had to be reason. I was right."_

Dean glared at his copy, gritting his teeth. He had to think of something. It wouldn't let him kill himself. Maybe there was a reason for that. Maybe if the host body died he would go down with it.

"_No that's not how it works." _He told Dean in a bored tone.

Dean cursed, of course the bastard would be able to read his mind now that he'd set up shop.

"_Where was I? Oh yeah, the girl." He walk to the wall and leaned back casually, folding his arms over his chest._

"_Her blood tasted like pain and rage. And things she don't want you and baby brother to know." _He said wistfully.

"_But damnit I'm glad I got to you first. I felt you everywhere in this city from the moment you all arrived." _

"If you think I'm going to let you hurt them you got another thing coming." Dean said smirking.

"_Boy I get stronger from the second, the more I see inside you. Soon you won't be able to fight me. Then if I take mercy I'll torture your brother, make it long and drawn out while he looks into your eyes." _He said coldly.

" _Whether I take mercy on him or take his body for a test drive really depends on you." _

"What about Jack? Does she get that choice too" Dean asked fighting the rising panic.

"_Her. No, I think I'll drive her insane then watch her take matters into her own hands. Like all the others." _He said with a look of relish that made Dean sick.

The demon pushed off from the wall and started towards the door. Dean followed after him not really knowing what the hell he was going to do, but he didn't want Him out of his sight for a second. As soon as Dean hit the doorway though he was pushed backwards.

"_Nope, you get to stay here. Usually I let the meat come along, show 'em all the fun to be had. But I want you here." _He told Dean wagging a finger at him.

"You're so full of shit. You can't do anything yet can you?" Dean said narrowing his eyes at him. "I've still got some control."

His face grew serious and he advanced on Dean with his fists curling at his sides. Dean didn't back down when his copy got in his face, didn't even blink. Dean knew in that moment that he was right. That meant he still had time.

"_Not for long." _The demon sneered at Dean. He turned his back on him and walked out the "door".

Dean walked across the room and flopped down on the chair near the center of it, folding his hands und his chin. He could still feel it there watching him, mocking him.

"_Afraid. So afraid."_

"Shut up."

"_You won't be able to protect them. You can't protect anyone."_

"I said shut the fuck up!"

"_Just like you couldn't protect Laurie even though you promised you would."_

"I'm not listening to you."

"_I'll show you then."_

Images bombarded Dean's mind, memories he thought he'd buried long ago. A house in the middle of nowhere. He recognized it immediately. It was the setting of his first solo hunt. He was eighteen.

* * *

"**Everything's going to be fine. I promise. I've been this a long time." Dean assured the ten year old girl. Laurie Goode. She looked up at him beaming with trust. She led him towards the woods behind her house, where she'd seen the thing.**

**A kelpie had been preying on the locals, luring them to the water and drowning them, or controlling them to make them bring others to it. Laurie was one of the only survivors, unfortunately her older brother was the kelpie's current bait and switch. Kelpies weren't hard to kill, just damn dangerous up till the second they were dead.. An iron bullet to the heart would do the trick, but not till the boy was out of harms way.**

**Dean was pumped. It was the first time his dad sent him off on his own. He was sure that it would only be a couple day's work at most and bragging rights for bagging a kelpie.**

**When they got close to the murky stream that it lived in Dean told Laurie to go back the way they came. He should have made sure. He should have taken her back himself and come back to the stream later. But he impatient and cocky.**

**Dean made his way to the stream, the smell of blood becoming thicker the closer he got. Dean drew his pistol, his body buzzing with adrenaline. He couldn't keep the eager grin off his face. When he bagged it he'd call Sammy and tell him about the gig. **

**The kelpie was waiting half of its skeletal horse like body in the water half out, with its front legs planted firmly on the muddy bank. A puff of acrid smoke exhaled from its nostrils, its empty eye sockets fixed on the hunter. It voice, sweet and soft, seduced people to their doom, making them see past the rotted drags of flesh over the body of the creature, the worms writhing through its skin and the razor sharp blackened teeth. Dean didn't need to worry about that though, the heavy chucks of iron weighing down in his jacket pocket protected him from its power.**

**Unfortunately he'd underestimated the kelpie's mental reach and Laurie hadn't been wearing any iron.**

**A twig snapped to Dean's left just as he drew his gun on the kelpie. He shifted his weight so he could see who was behind him without giving the Kelpie his back. There standing with her brother, Collin was Laurie. She looked at the kelpie with awe in her eyes. Like it was the prettiest thing she'd ever seen.**

**Everything happened so fast from there. Collin shoved his sister into the water and Dean dove to catch her. His footing was all wrong, getting sucked into the mud tripping him up. The kelpie had her under the darkened water before Dean could blink let alone pry himself out. The screams hit his ears muffled by the water filling up little Laurie's lungs. He had a moment of paralyzing horror when the screaming stopped and a lock dirt blonde hair floated to t he surface. The kelpie was rising up from the water fast and heading towards Collin. Dean snapped out of it and finally pulled himself free. **

**He shot a full round into the kelpie before it got its hoofs out of the water. It was too late though, always too late because those razor sharp teeth had buried themselves in Collin's neck. The innocent boy and the monster died together.**

**Dean stumbled backwards unable to look away from the brutal scene in front of him. Fourteen. Laurie told him that her brother was only fourteen. Sammy's age.**

**Dean was hyperventilating. He wasn't sure how long he sat there. One minute the son was setting and he was on his way, arrogant and sure that he'd be in a bar celebrating his first solo and the next it was dark, rain was coming down in sheets and his phone was ringing. Dean fumbled to get the phone out of his jacket pocket grabbing the iron first on accident. When he finally got it free one look at the caller i.d. told him he couldn't answer. **

**Dean heard voices. Someone calling and a faint light coming from behind him.**

"**Laurie? Collin?" A man's voice was calling. Several voices joined his. A search party for the dead children. Dean forced himself to his feet and ran in the opposite direction. They wouldn't find him, he knew. His dad trained him too good to be spotted by a group of humans. **

**Just not good enough to go it alone, he thought bitterly as he ran through the forest. Dean didn't stop running till he got to the Impala, parked miles from where the search party would be. Once inside Dean laid his head on the steering wheel and tried to regain his calm. The phone was ringing again. He turned off his phone. He'd get reamed for it later but at the moment he didn't trust his voice.**

**Dean looked at himself in the mirror. Dean's hair was muddy and he had scratches on his face he vaguely remembered being caused by the trees and brush hitting him as he ran. It was all wrong. All his fault. He'd broken one of his father's cardinal rules of hunting: Don't get too cocky. And those kids had paid the price.**

**The next few hours were a blur of Dean driving back to his motel packing up his things and driving through the night till he was across state lines. When he finally turned his phone back on two days later his father was equal parts worried sick and pissed off.**

"**Dean, where the hell have you been? Are you alright?!" John yelled into the phone.**

"**I'm fine." Dean said in a detached voice. The alcohol helped to numb him. **

"**What happened on the hunt? Did you kill the kelpie?" John asked going into hunter mode.**

"**Yes sir. Just like you said, iron bullets took it out fast and easy." Dean said forcing a smirk into his voice.**

"**Why did you turn off your phone?" John demanded. The lie dropped from his lips like the most natural thing in the world.**

"**I'm sorry sir. There was this cute little thing and she didn't want to be interrupted during-"**

"**Damnit Dean! You had me and your brother worried so you could get laid. Get your head out of your pants. This is serious." John said angrily.**

"**It won't happen again sir." Dean said dropping his voice low.**

"**Maybe I sent you off on your own a little too soon." John said. Dean silently agreed with his father.**

"**Come on home Dean. We'll talk then." John ordered curtly and hung up.**

**Dean threw his phone on the floor of the car and got out. He popped the trunk and grabbed the salt and shovel. **

**After he was done salting the bones of the two newly buried kids he sat down between their graves.**

"**I'm so sorry." He said. Dean sat on the ground for a long time waiting for forgiveness that would never come. Then he blinked back hot tears, pulled himself together and lit two matches, dropping them at the same time into the two graves.**

* * *

Dean sucked in a deep breath as the vision let go of him. When he got home from that hunt Sammy was the first person he saw. He'd pulled Sam close to him remembering the boy. Dean ruffled Sam's hair smiling big at his brother's surprised expression at Dean's sudden affection. He brushed off questions about the hunt, giving bare details about it. It would be years before he would go on another solo job.

"_Wonder what dad would say if he knew how bad you messed that up?" _Dean looked up sharply to his clone bent down balancing on the balls of his feet inches away from Dean.

Dean jumped out of his chair and grabbed him by the collar, shoving him backwards into a wall.

"You fucker! You son of a bitch!" Dean shouted in his face. The demon was laughing, getting that look of being satiated on his face. Feeding.

'Keep your cool Dean. He wants you to get angry.' He reminded himself letting go of the bastard.

"_Think he'd blame you? Like with the Stritga." _He asked appearing at Dean's side. _"Maybe he would have written you off as a lost cause. Like everyone else in your life."_

Dean clenched his fists so tight it hurt. The pain brought distraction, helped him not to dwell on the words. At least that's what he told himself.

"_That shapeshifter awhile back was right. Eventually everyone will leave you." _He said in Dean's ear.

"_How could they not? Sammy saw it. Cassie saw it too. Even your dad left so he saw something there. You're a freak. I mean its one thing to have to do this job. You enjoy it." _It said scornfully.

* * *

**Dean was lying in bed, relaxing for the first time in he didn't remember how long. He could hear Cassie moving around in the bathroom and smiled. He wanted to tell her. He wanted to tell her the truth about himself. It had only been a handful of weeks but what the hell? If you wanted someone what did it matter how long its been? And he trusted her. **

"**Hey baby." Cassie greeted stepping out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel.**

"**Hey." Dean sat up and pulled her to him. He kissed her deeply trying to press her as tight as he could against him.**

"**Mmm. What was that for?" Cassie said with a smile when they broke for air.**

"**I've got something I want to tell you." Dean said smiling against her neck.**

"**Like an I have to go out of town for the weekend kind of something? Or an I'm an escaped axe murderer kind of something?" She asked lightly.**

"**Somewhere in between." Dean said pulling her to sit down next to him on the bed. He felt a trill of nervousness. He'd never been this honest with another human being. Except his dad and Sam. And now he was going to tell an outsider his biggest secret his families' biggest secret. He would have laughed if he wasn't so anxious.**

"**I hunt things for a living." Dean said quickly, looking her in the eyes to see her reaction. She frowned but didn't run screaming from the room.**

"**Really? I never would have pegged you for the fish and game type." Cassie said.**

"**No not like that. I mean I hunt things. The supernatural. Me and my father do, my brother used to too but he quit." Dean explained. Cassie was frowning deeper now and Dean was starting to feel like this was all a big mistake.**

"**Are you joking?" Cassie asked starting to edge away from him. Like he was dangerous. Dean let his walls come up, this was a mistake.**

"**Oh God, you're not joking are you?" Cassie stood up from the bed backing away from him.**

"**You're crazy." She said more to herself than to him.**

"**I'm not crazy." Dean protested, devoid of any emotion.**

"**I think-I think you should go. I think you should go right now before I call the police." Cassie said pointing out the door. Dean had a half a second to feel like he'd been kicked in the stomach by a hell hound then he was pulling on his pants and shirt. He grabbed the pad of paper she kept by the phone on her nightstand and scribbled his phone number on it. She already knew it but he had a feeling she might try to forget it after this. He tossed the pad down on the bed and gestured towards it.**

"**If you ever need anything-"**

"**Out." Cassie cut him off backing away from as he moved around the room.**

* * *

**_"_**_Always the tough little soldier. Never showing anything." _It said in mock sympathy.

_"Good thing you stuck to one night stands after that." _Dean didn't reply. He swallowed it all down and locked it away.

_"Which brings me to my next point. That little display with Jackie Girl…." _It continued. Dean clenched his fists biting back telling the thing not to call Jack that, it was almost as bad as him calling Sam, Sammy. It just wasn't right.

_"What was that all about? Haven't you wondered what your real reasons for being so angry were?" _

"What are you gonna Dr. Phil me now?" Dean spat out glaring defiantly at his double. His head was starting to swim a little bit but he'd be damned if he was going to make it that easy for It.

_"Maybe its because…." _He trailed off and Dean had an image shoved into his head of Jack and him. Her arching towards him with her eyes close while he-

"Its not like that." Dean growled. The demon was toying with him, trying to get him to lose his temper and attack him. He was alternating between painful memories and taunting him.

_"Or maybe its cause you saw a little too much of yourself there." _It said smugly.

"Wow you're so insightful." Dean said sarcastically. "I know it doesn't factor into your diabolical plan to try and break me but I don't do the self-hate thing."

_"You should though. I mean how many times has Sammy gotten hurt because you weren't watching close enough?" _Dean launched himself at the demon before he even finished the sentence. He had the double on the ground and slammed him hard against the concrete floor.

"Shut up. Shut the fuck up. Don't you ever call Sam that." He snarled coldly in Its face. Its eyes went black and Dean felt the room sway.

"I won't I won't let you hurt t hem." Dean said holding on with everything he had. The demon grinned up at him.

_"He didn't want to get hurt anymore. That's why he left. You should have protected him better."_

* * *

**"Sammy? Sam? Please, don't do this." Dean said following his brother out the door.**

**"I'm going Dean and you can't stop me." Sam said adjusting the duffle bag holding everything he owned in the world. Dean could see the mottled bruise running from Sam's right temple down his face and some of the long line of stitches peeking from the sleeve of his hoodie. A werewolf attack.** **Dean had just taken his eyes off of him for a second and that was all it took.**

**"Not like this Sam." Dean begged. **

**"Let him go! If he wants to run away, let him." John shouted angrily from inside the trailer they were living in.**

**"Then like what Dean? I don't want this anymore." Sam said.**

**"Its not so bad." Dean reasoned weakly. He knew he was fighting a losing battle. Sam was leaving.**

**"I want to go my own way Dean." Sam said. Dean thought he saw a flicker of pity in Sam's eyes when he looked at Dean. Like he didn't think Dean could even comprehend what Sam was talking about.**

**"Your own way is abandoning your family?" Dean demanded.**

**"Go to hell." Sam shot back. He turned his back and started walking as fast as his legs would carry him, away from the family and away from Dean.**

**Dean took his keys from his pocket and got in the car. He coasted along side Sam as he walked. It was the middle of the night and they were miles from the bus station.**

**"Get in the car." Dean ordered. Sam looked like he was going to argue then a shot of lightning lit up the sky. It was going to downpour on him if he tried to walk all the way there.**

**They road in silence, just the patter of heavy rain when the storm started and the sound of the windshield wipers.**

**When they got to the brightly lit bus depot Sam reached for the door handle immediately. He looked back at Dean opened his mouth and closed it again then stepped out into the rain. He ran inside holding an old newspaper they'd used on a previous hunt over his head. Dean waited in his car till Sam's bus arrived and Sam was safely on board before pulling out of the parking lot. Part of him considered following the bus for a ways, just to make sure Sammy was alright but he decided against it. He didn't need anymore of Sam's scornful looks.**

* * *

Dean was sitting too still. He felt like he couldn't move, his limbs seeming to weigh a ton each. That wasn't right. When did he get so tired. He looked up and he was watching again. Like a movie playing inside his mind of the things his body was going to do.

**TBC……………………….**

**AN2: This whole chapter takes place over hours. Dean doesn't break easily. He's tougher than that……..grins**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Y'all know the drill. I own nothing but the clothes on my back and even that's iffy sometimes. Lol**

"Dad, Dean's in trouble." Sam left the message, short and to the point on John's voicemail and hung up. He was frustrated that after months of being in at least semi-communication his dad had chosen that moment not to answer the phone. Meanwhile Jack was trying to get hold of Missouri Mosely.

"Missouri, we got a problem." Jack said in a rush when Missouri answered the phone.

"Jacqueline Annabelle Fontenot." Missouri scolded tiredly.

"Don't triple name me." Jack managed to whine. Her and Madeleine, damnit.

"Don't use that tone with me. Its the middle of the night and you call up and without so much as a 'Hello, Sorry for waking you' you start asking for help." Missouri snapped.

"Hello. I'm sorry for waking you. Oh yeah and Dean's in trouble." Jack said.

"What kind of trouble?" Missouri asked doing from irritated to worried in two seconds flat. A new record, Jack thought.

"The exorcism gone bad kind. Demon body jumped into Dean." Jack said giving the short and certainly not fucking sweet of the situation.

"What kind of demon?" Missouri asked.

"Not sure. We're on our way to talk to the last victim, see if she remembers anything aside from what the demon made her do." Jack said.

Sam was alternating between watching the road as they drove back to Erica's hotel and glaring at his phone, willing it to ring.

"Can you look at the cards? See if you get anything. Where he might be?" Jack asked trying to keep her cool. The streetlights were still too bright for her overwrought senses, she could just imagine how craptastic Sam must feel.

"I'll try but like I've told all of you before I can't just pull facts out of thin air." Missouri said sympathetically. She could sense even with this little contact how anxious the girl was.

"Thanks Missouri." Jack said.

"Call me in about twenty minutes." Missouri said.

"Sure thing." Jack said before hanging up. Jack looked at Sam's white knuckle grip on the steering wheel. He'd told her what Dean had tried to do, nearly giving her a heart attack just thinking about the botched suicide attempt.

"Sam." Jack said putting a hand over his on the steering wheel. He glance in her direction and nodded.

"I know." Sam said. He knew she felt guilty, he did too. They'd get Dean back and then, he smiled a little, kick the shit out of him for trying to hurt himself.

"We're here." Sam said unnecessarily as they parked around the corner from the hotel. They were going around the back again away from anyone who might ask questions about why two bloody, dirty young people were walking into a five star hotel. As soon as they could both walk without puking they left, without time to do anything but raid Jack's weapons stash and swig down some mouthwash.

Anyone watching them walk through the alley then would have seen that they'd never looked more like what they were than at that moment; Hunters, all predatory grace and watchfulness.

They didn't bother to knock on Erica's door. She might not have let them in if they did. She was curled up on her bed shaking and mumbling incoherently when they walked into her bedroom. If the woman heard them enter she made no sign of it.

"Erica." Sam said putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. She flinched and curled tighter without looking up at them.

"Erica, we need your help." Jack tried. She moved to the other side of the bed to look Erica in the face. The sheet was pulled tight over her head, like she was trying to hide from the world.

"Erica please. Our friend is in trouble. That thing is inside him now." Jack pleaded.

Sam came to stand by Jack when he spotted something dark under the white sheet. He watched as the darkness spread and realized it was blood.

"Jack." He hissed, she'd already noticed and swung her backpack around to dig out the first aid kit while Sam pulled the sheet off Erica.

"No!" She yelled trying fruitlessly to stay covered. Sam yanked as hard as he could without pulling her off the bed and saw that she had a kitchen knife in her hand was sawing into her wrist. Sam wrestled the knife away from her.

"Thank God you suck at suicide." Jack said through gritted teeth as she enclosed Erica's wrist in her steely grip. The cut was too high up and going in the wrong direction. More painful than dangerous if caught in time, but maybe that was the point. Pain to cancel out pain.

"I have to! I have to!" Erica was crying as Sam opened the kit and doused a bandage with antiseptic then pressed it to the gushing wound.

"I deserve to die. I killed him." Erica sobbed hysterically trying to fight them as while they tried to slow the bleeding.

"Erica it wasn't your fault. Listen to me." Sam tried but she was shaking her head and jerking out of his grip making her wound worse.

"Stop it!" Jack lost her patience and shoved the woman down into the mattress. She pinned her arms down with her knees and forced the woman to look at her, putting a hand over her mouth.

"It hurts. You did something horrible. I know. You'll never forgive yourself. But you're not allowed to be selfish enough to die." Jack said. She waited till her words sunk in to speak again.

"Your kids are alive. They need you. They already lost their dad, do you really want them to lose you too?" Jack asked without sympathy. Erica looked at her with wide, blood shot eyes.

"They're at a hospital right now. Your son is safe, we'll take you to them if you want but first we need you to help us." Sam said. "It has my brother. It will do to him what it did to you. Please."

"Now Jack's going to let go, but you have to promise you'll let us fix your arm and that you'll talk to us for a few minutes. Can you do that for us?" Sam asked her. She glanced at each of them and nodded slowly. Jack got off of her and Erica lay limp and pliant while Sam cleaned the gash and Jack did a stitch job.

"What do you remember?" Sam asked quietly as Jack pushed the needle and thread with surprising gentleness through the woman's skin.

"I remember it telling me things." Erica started, her voice barely above a whisper.

"What kinds of things?" Sam asked.

"That Danny didn't love me anymore. That I was a horribly mother. It said that Danny wasn't really sorry." Erica's voice cracked and it took her a moment to regain her composure.

"Sorry about what?" Jack asked her.

"We had this fight a few days ago. We weren't really talking till the night that he…"

"Its okay." Sam soothed.

"I didn't want to. I couldn't control my own body. And it just kept getting worse and worse. It was like…I don't know what." Erica said sniffling.

"Did it show you anything? Take you someplace maybe?" Sam pressed her for more information.

"No." She replied. Sam felt a stab of disappointment.

"It showed me things though." Erica continued.

"What kinds of things?" Sam asked grabbing at what little hope they could find.

"What it did to the others before me. It made them hurt people, do things awful things and then it would leave them and watch them do it." Erica said with a look of terror.

"Do what?" Jack asked even though she had a feeling what "It was".

"They'd kill themselves." Erica said looking down.

"Dean was right about the suicides." Sam said grimly.

"It felt stronger after." Erica said. "It always felt stronger after it hurt someone or when me or the kids got sad."

"It fed off your pain." Jack told her.

"What is it?" Erica asked the million dollar question. Jack glanced at Sam, tine for the "truth is out there" speech.

"A demon that possesses people. I wish I didn't have to tell you that these things exist but they do. They hurt people and that's where we come in." Sam explained. "We help people who get caught in the crosshairs."

"Your so young though." Erica said focusing her eyes on them for the first time.

"Graduated early from Boo-School." Jack joked tying off the end of the thread and cutting the excess.

"This is your job?" Erica asked.

"Yeah." Sam said.

"We're good here. We can take you to the hospital now." Jack said putting away the medical supplies. She handed an Advil to Erica.

The ride to the hospital was quiet. Erica hesitated getting out of the car.

"What-what do I tell them? My kids?" She asked with her hand on the door handle.

"Tell them you love them. If you think they can handle the truth tell them what we told you. Just don't tell them about your part in their father's death." Sam cautioned. "Nothing good will come out of that."

Erica's eyes filled with tears again. She nodded, stepped out of the car and walked, hunched over into the E.R. Sam's phone rang then and he heaved a sigh of relief. It was his dad.

"Dad." He said as he answered the phone.

"What happened to Dean?" John interrupted.

"He's possessed by a demon." Sam explained what happened at the hotel and the abandoned building.

"Its in Dean's body, the car and about half our arsenal in the trunk and we don't know where to find them." Sam finished.

"Fuck." John swore on the other end.

"Yeah." Sam said hoping John would have something more to offer than that.

"If its in Dean's body it should come after you guys soon." John said.

"Dean won't let it." Sam argued.

"Well you better hope he does come after you two." John said.

"Why?" Sam asked in bewilderment.

"Because otherwise you'll have a hard time finding him. Nearly impossible." John explained slowly.

"If and when he comes for you, you need to be ready. Set a trap for him." John said.

"Its got Dean's memories it'll know all our tricks." Sam said.

"You'll have to improvise. It'll know all Dean's tricks but not yours." John said. There was a crash on his end of the line.

"Dad what was that?" Sam asked.

"Just an irate psychic." John said with a touch of amusement. "Gotta go son. Call me when you get Dean back."

"I will dad." Sam promised.

"Yeah, alright thanks anyway." Jack was saying into her phone. She hung up and looked at Sam shaking her head.

"It was a long shot anyway." Sam said pushing back the sense of hopelessness that was threatening to take over. John seemed to have faith in their being able to get Dean back but Sam wasn't so sure of himself. From the deep frown on Jack's face he guessed she felt the same.

They drove on each deep in their own thoughts, not really knowing where they were going.

Jack had something digging at the back of her mind. Something she felt should have been obvious but she couldn't really think about clearly.

"Set a trap…." John's words when Sam spoke to him echoed through her mind. She punched the dashboard with her mangled fist when a she figured out what they had to do.

"Sam I have an idea." She said looking at him. He turned to look at her tiredly ready to jump on board with whatever idea she had.

"Put out a personals ad. Freaky demon seeks same?" He asked to cover up his anxiety.

"That'll be plan B." Jack said. She gave him that grin that usually preceded them getting shot at, or nearly eaten by something.

**TBC……………………..**

**AN: I was supposed to rest today. Really I meant to take a break, but noooo. My addiction took over and now there's a whole nother chapter. Enjoy.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: No I only Jack, I'm just obsessed with the rest of them. Now that that's done, on with the show.**

**AN1: Dean's speech in this chapter will be in Italics. Memories will still be in Bold.**

He walked languidly, stretching out in his new form, falling easily into Dean's natural swagger. The man's car was parked in the shadows of the parking garage, half hidden despite its size.

_"I'm gonna kick your ass for driving my baby." _Dean's voice growled.

He opened the trunk and tripped the secret compartment, whistling low at the arsenal there. Guns, knives, tasors, and were those fucking grenades? Yup, that they were. He smirked at his reflection in a knife's edge and pocketed the blade and a few others too. Guns were quick and loud, knives drew everything out, allowed for more time.

Dean was pacing again. He couldn't fucking believe he was pacing in his own head. The demon was ransacking their impressive knife collection, fingering the blades that Sammy favored and putting them in the passenger seat until he was satisfied with his haul. Then he closed the trunk with one last look at the cache.

"You guys made this just too easy." The demon taunted him out loud.

_"Almost kicked your ass, that's why you took the kid." _Dean retorted. The demon growled internally and sent a ripple of power directed at Dean, filling him with pain. He staggered and fell to the mental floor. This was starting to confuse the shit out of him. He felt the demon chuckle and then Dean was filled with another of his memories, this one more recent.

"This should keep you busy. A reminder of how fucking useless you are." He told Dean.

**It was three weeks ago and they were on their way to Minnesota for a hunt when they stopped for the night at a roadside motel. Sam was clutching his skull, whimpering in pain while Dean watched unable to do anything. Painkillers took the edge off but that was it. All they could ever do is wait, wait for the pain to subside. This was a big one. **

**Dean had every weapon he could think of to protect and kill and nothing to help with this. **

**"Its okay, man. Its okay." Dean soothed in the dark. Sam's quiet gasps for air were the only sound now as he tried to pull himself back together. Two minutes from the time Sam shot up in bed from a nightmare and to when he was okay to move again.**

**"You okay?" Dean asked.**

**"I'm fine." Sam lies and sways a little on his way to the bathroom to take a shower. Neither is going to sleep again any time soon.**

"Can't even handle a bad dream." The demon said scornfully. Dean didn't say anything just watched as the demon got behind the wheel of his car and started to drive.

"Maybe if your friends see the car they'll come running, save me the trouble of getting them out of that shit hole you were staying in." Dean felt an instinctive flood of defiance and protectiveness and the car swerved. The demon looked at his reflection in the rearview mirror and snarled at Dean.

That's how it went. Dean would weaken for a bit, have no control. Then t he demon would make some threat towards Sam or Jack, or once John and Dean would fight back with all he had, to gain some semblance of that control back. It couldn't hurt them without a fight. Dean wasn't sure what would happen when the demon picked some random person to pick off though.

The car was slowing then, in a part of the city still crowded with people at that time of night. Sometimes it was hard for Dean to remember what day of the week it was since they didn't keep a regular work week, but he was pretty sure the newspaper he'd picked up the day before said something about it being Wednesday.

It walked into the first crowded bar he found and scanned the people milling around with a smile on his face. A pretty bartender winked at him and he looked straight through her, sniffing out the dark secrets there. Everyone had them. If he couldn't touch the brother or the girl yet he would have to look elsewhere for fun.

"Hey beautiful." He said leaning his elbows on the bar.

"Hey. What's your name?" She asked leaning towards him to show her impressive cleavage. She cocked her head to the side letting her long blonde hair brush over his arm.

"Dean." He answered. "Dean Winchester."

"You know I get off in a little while." She said after a few shared shots and flirting.

Soon they were outside, he was leaving wet kisses along her throat and backing her down the alley between one building and the next. His eyes went black and he pinned her arms over her head with one arm.

"What are you doing?" She asked with a nervous giggle.

He had his hand over her mouth to stifle her scream as he pulled out the six inch blade he'd picked out from the trunk. Her eyes widened in terror and he felt the blood rush through the borrowed body. He felt Dean angrily rattling around inside trying to get his attention to turn inward. It wasn't working t his time though. The blade slid through her like butter.

Dean slammed his fists into the walls and screamed till his voice gave out, if it could where he was. He felt his own hand push the knife into her stomach and twist the blade to make the pain all the more excruciating. He kicked and howled and threw the chair against a door that wasn't really there. The woman looked up at him as she slid down the filthy alley wall. Her eyes were filled with pain and the silent question of why lingered unspoken on her lips.

He fell backwards onto the ground and put his head in his hands. Salt tears fell from his eyes unbidden. He cursed Sam for not letting him kill himself when he had the chance, maybe then this nameless woman would still be alive. Dean looked up again and saw his hands dig through the woman's pockets till they closed around a wallet.

The demon flipped it open and there was a single picture of a baby, about six months old smiling and holding onto a stuffed lion. Dean thought again of Sammy, at that age and climbing into his crib after mom died to make sure he was safe. Who would climb into this baby's crib? Was there anyone? Or would he end up in the system, alone in the world?

Dean thought of the picture of Jack with her mom and dad as an infant. It was all too much for him. He couldn't get a grip on what he'd just done.

"You should have just let me have at Sammy and Jackie Girl. One of them might have had a chance to fight back. She certainly didn't." His own voice, marred by the demon, told him taking out his old bandana and rubbing down the wallet for prints before tossing it unceremoniously back down on her body.

"_Why?" _Dean choked out.

"I don't like losing bodies to the police." It answered.

Dean closed his eyes. It wasn't the first time the demon had shown a vast knowledge of human things, like police, like cars. Dean wondered how long it'd been doing this. Dean couldn't stop shaking. Now if he got out of this he'd see that woman's face every time he closed his eyes.

'It wasn't you' He told himself the same thing he would have told Erica if he'd had the chance.

'It wasn't you, it was the demon. It wasn't you.' He summoned up the image of his brother, who was always good at comforting people telling the woman that very thing after Dean went missing. He hope they went back to check on her. Dean went through every thought, wish, list of things to do, weapons to clean sparring drills. Anything to keep the thoughts from closing in on him.

"No. Hell no." Sam said sternly.

"You got a better plan?" Jack asked hands on her hips. They were standing in his motel room after Sam nearly swerved off the road when Jack told him her idea.

"John said set a trap, this is a trap." Jack said.

"Its too dangerous. You know Dean wouldn't let you do it either." Sam said.

"No, I know Dean would tell me, albeit in much stronger language, the same thing you're saying. And then I'd tell him to go to hell and I'd do it anyway." Jack said smirking. Sam looked at her considering her idea. It was dangerous, but it would give them the chance they needed to exorcise the demon without worrying about it body hopping again.

"If we do this, we do it right." Sam said.

"You bet your ass we do." Jack said knowing she'd won. Although the term 'won' didn't really apply.

"He's got Dean's skills, so we have to be careful." Sam said thinking about when he got his ass handed to him by the shapeshifter that turned into Dean before. Jack nodded. She still had the bruises from her last sparring match with Dean (she still maintained that it was a tie).

"We should get that fixed up first." Sam added looking at her bandaged arm. They only had time before to wrap it on the way to see Erica.

"So we're going to double team Deano huh?" Jack said as Sam cleaned and stitched her arm up.

"We have to find him first." Sam said.

"Bar crawl?" Jack asked.

"That's the plan. If that doesn't work we'll just have to wait for him to try and kill us slowly and painfully." Sam responded.

"Its so wrong that that's our best case scenario." Jack said. Falling into being glib was a good way to cover being angry, anxious and eager for a fight.

**TBC………**

**AN2: Went back and fixed a mistake in Chapter 7, it was the Key of Solomon they used to trap MEG, not the Devil's Trap. And I realized that after I drum roll please…. Had a Supernatural Marathon because I got my DVD'S TODAY! Woohoo. I think its time for a happy dance. **


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: Nope, nuhuh, no ownership to be found here.**

Sixteen bars and clubs where no one was all that eager to cooperate with them looking the way they did. Every part of the worst neighborhoods in the city that they could think of. First they went by places Dean would go on his own. After a awhile they had to give up that game plan, because it was still the middle of the week and those places closed earlier. Then by the most miserable places where a demon with an appetite for sadness would go for a pick me up. It all took twice as long as Sam and Jack decided that splitting up was not an option. They kept their eyes peeled for a black 67 Chevy. Nothing. Around four am exhaustion forced the two to break for the night.

Without thinking twice Jack collapsed onto one of the beds in Sam's room while he checked the runes.

"Setting the alarm for eight." Sam said focusing his blurry eyes on his phone to set the alarm. Jack mumbled an affirmative and Sam fell into Dean's bed. His last though before sleep was that he hoped he had a nightmare so he'd know where his brother was.

The alarm startled Jack out of her sleep and she jumped out of bed ready to attack.

"If you shoot my phone you're buying me a new one." Sam yawned sitting up.

"Ow." Was Jack's tired reply as she stretched out her bruised body. Her skin was flaked with dry blood and dirt.

"Showers and coffee, that's what we need." Sam said rotating his shoulder till it popped audibly.

"I'm goin next door to hose off." Jack said. Sam rose to his feet to make sure she got into the room alright without crossing the salt lines himself. They'd agree that even the smallest amount of time spent outside their layers of protection were not to be spent alone. It could ambush them easily that way.

Once he closed the door Sam stripped out of clothes carefully and tossed them aside. The cold water of the shower shocked him into wakefulness. He scrubbed away the grime from the day before and thought of his brother.

**Eight year old Sam sat in his classroom after school while his teacher escorted the other kids in a single line out to the school entrance. In a few minutes Dean would realize Sam wasn't at his usual place on the front steps and come looking for him, Sam knew. Then Mrs. Stone would tell Dean what he did and he'd be in trouble.**

**Sam finished his homework then doodled runes in his English book while he waited. His right hand had a bruise blossoming across his knuckles, not as bad as in training but still obvious. The door to the classroom opened and Dean popped his head in.**

**"You get stuck in a book again Sammy?" Dean asked grinning. It wouldn't be the first time Sam lost track of the time reading.**

**"No Mrs. Stone asked me to stay after." Sam said biting his lip. Dean frowned and stepped all the way inside, closing the door behind him.**

**"What happened Sam?" Dean asked. He perched on the edge of Mrs. Stone's desk and put his feet up on Sam's front row desk. His keen eyes took in the bruise forming on Sam's knuckles and how disheveled his clothes were and his eyes narrowed.**

**"Got in a fight." Sam said dropping his head.**

**"With who?" Dean asked sharply jumping off the desk. "I'll kick the shit out of-" **

**"You don't have to do that." Sam said trying not to giggle.**

**"Why?" Dean asked with a smile tugging at his lips. "Tell me what happened."**

**"Well," Sam squinched his face up remembering the exact details. "There were these two fifth graders and they were making fun of me. So I told them to leave them alone and one of them pushed me."**

**"What were they're names?" Dean demanded through clenched teeth.**

**"Dean you can't hurt them, they're younger than you." Sam said. **

**"I hope you fought back Sam." Dean grumbled.**

**"I used that one hitter quitter you showed me. Then I twisted the other ones wrist. He cried." Sam said. He hoped he wouldn't get in too much trouble, he wasn't supposed to call attention to himself.**

**"That's m'boy." Dean laughed clapping Sam on the back.**

**"You're not mad?" Sam asked.**

**"Hell no Sammy. And don't tell dad I cussed okay?" Dean said.**

**"I won't Dean." Sam promised.**

**"Let's get out of here before Stone Henge comes back." Dean said earning a laugh from Sammy.**

**"But she said I have to stay so she can talk to you." Sam said.**

**"What for I already know." Dean waved it off and picked up Sam's back pack, slinging it over his shoulder. And as Sam thought at that age that Dean's word was golden, he just nodded and followed Dean out the classroom window.**

**"When you're done with your homework I'll show you this new move dad taught me the other day." Dean said when they got to the sidewalk out of sight of the school.**

**"Already finished it." Sam said.**

**"You're such a geek." Dean said ruffling his brother's hair.**

Sam shut off the water and closed his eyes. Sometimes he forgot the good times growing up, few and far between that they were. His brother raised him. Bandaged him up, taught him to read and beat the shit out of bullies till Sam was big enough to do it himself and then Dean still put the hurting on them once they recovered from the Sammy beating.

Sam grabbed the towel, wrapped it around his waist and left the bathroom. Any minute he expected to hear Jack's tap through the paper thin walls telling him she was leaving the safe area.

Jack was in and out of the shower as fast as she could make herself bath. She didn't want to be stuck inside any longer than she had to. Getting to Dean was all she thought about. She'd make it right, she had to. Jack was drying her hair with the damp towel in front of the mirror and caught sight of her tattooed abdomen. She turned around looking back at herself in the mirror. Her eyes raked over the design that dominated her mid and lower back. This better work, Jack thought. A lot of her 'plan' hinged on her being able to lure enough of the demon's wrath at her.

"Luckily you're good at getting people to try and kill you, Sparks." Jack told herself grinning wolfishly at the mirror. She finished toweling off and went back into the bedroom to pull on some clean jeans and a shirt. Her thoughts drifted while she dressed.

**Jack moved swiftly to the left trying to avoid her opponents blade wielding hand. She grabbed for it bringing her knee up to collide with his forearm and make him drop the knife. Dean fought back by hooking a leg behind her foot, throwing her off balance. With his face inches from hers Jack slipped the razor blade from under her tongue to clench it between her teeth. Dean saw the glint of the blade and let go just as she brought it across his cheek.**

**"You fight dirty." He grinned wildly dancing on the balls of his feet waiting for her to attack again.**

**"Always." Jack said with the razor blade still in her teeth. They circled each other. **

**Jack hopped backwards under the motel overhang. Good thing the place was almost completely empty. Made sparring easier. Dean kicked high aiming for Jack's head and she fell back feeling his boot graze her jaw. It was enough to make her bang into the post and she pushed off and back into the parking lot. **

**Dean shot forward grabbing Jack's hand and she twisted shifting her weight to turn the throw against him ending Dean's move with him landing on the ground. She didn't have long to gloat because he swept low to the ground pulling her legs out from under her so she landed hard on the ground next to him. **

**"Sonuva.." Jack winced and punched Dean hard in the chest.**

**"Oh-fuck- I still win." Dean said rubbing his chest where there would be a bruise the next day.**

**"Like hell! We're both ass down in the dirt. Its a tie." Jack said.**

**"I got first blood, I was just too nice to point that out." Dean said.**

**"Where? I'm not bleeding." Jack said looking down at herself. Dean reached out and touched her elbow. A tiny smudge of blood from scraping it against the motel post.**

**"That doesn't count." Jack said scowling at him.**

**"I think we need a ruling. Sammy!" Dean called.**

**"What?" Sam asked appearing in the doorway.**

**"Tell Jack I won." Dean ordered.**

**"Its a tie!" Jack insisted.**

**"I'm going back inside." Sam said rolling his eyes.**

**"I won." Dean said.**

**"My ass." Jack said. She grinned and got to her feet, giving Dean her hand to help him up.**

**"I'm hungry." She said dusting off.**

**"What's new?" Dean taunted laughing when she swiped at him.**

Jack banged her palm against the wall she shared with Sam's room after she pulled on her boots. He gave the answering tap and she opened the motel room door. Sam was waiting in his doorway for her.

"Coffee?" Jack asked.

"Yeah." Sam agreed handing Jack the gun she left under the pillow. They were going down the stairs when they saw the squad car lights.

"Who would report that thing stolen?" Jack hissed as they doubled back to the rooms.

"I don't know but this is not what we fucking needed." Sam said.

"Think they'll come up here?" Jack asked.

"Don't know. We better pack up just in case." Sam said.

"Yeah, it won't be hard for anyone to point us out after we scoured half the neighborhood asking after Dean." Jack agreed.

Jack still never unpacked anywhere she stayed so all she had to do was grab her things, take down the protection and brush away the salt around the door and windows.

After packing up Sam and Dean's things they laid low for a few tense minutes checking the window frequently to see if any police were coming up the stairs. Finally they heard the heavy foot falls of the cops and heard them lazily knocking on doors.

"Time to go." Sam said. He slung his and Dean's things over each shoulder, Jack picked up the laptop case and her things and they walked out of the room heads down, trying to be unassuming. Half way to the stairs at the other end of the row of rooms an officer spotted them.

"Excuse me. Hey Excuse me sir, ma'am." The police officer said walking quickly towards as they tried to speed up. Sam looked at Jack and they stopped.

"What can I do for you officer?" Sam asked with a curious expression.

"Have you been staying in this motel long?" The cop asked.

"No sir, just a couple days. We're just passing through on our way somewhere." Sam answered.

"And where'd that be?" The officer asked looking over their scruffy appearance.

"Texas." Jack answered.

"Road trip home to meet my folks for the holidays sir." Sam said putting an arm around Jack's shoulders.

"Where from?" He asked them.

"University of Nevada." Sam said.

"You look like you ran into some kind of trouble." He said dubiously.

"I suppose so sir, got robbed a few days ago in Phoenix. Nasty experience." Sam said with a shudder.

"Is that so? I hope you reported it." The cop said.

"Is there any reason we're being questioned?" Jack demanded losing her patience. Sam pinched her between the shoulder blades.

"We're canvassing the neighborhood. A young woman was murdered a few blocks from here last night." The officer said gouging their reactions.

"Oh wow. Well we were here all night sir." Sam said with a look of genuine surprise. He had a sinking feeling in his gut.

"Can I get you're names. In case we have any more questions while you're in town?" He asked eyeing their bags.

"Okay." Sam said nodding cooperatively. "Alice James and Luke North."

"Numbers?" The cop asked. Jack rattled off the number she'd seen on the side of a bus a few hours ago.

"Alright then. I'll be in touch." The officer eyed them again and turned to go bang on some more doors.

They walked calmly down the stairs and onto the sidewalk not stopping till they turned a few corners, leaving the motel and their stolen car behind.

"On the bright side at least we know they're not here about a stolen car." Jack said.

"No but don't you think its a little coincidental that only hours after Dean gets possessed by a homicidal demon a woman turns up dead just a few blocks from us?" Sam asked with dread.

Jack closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She didn't want to even think that Dean could have something to do with the dead woman.

"Okay we can't think about that right now. We have to get somewhere we can lay low then start looking for Dean again." Jack said.

"If the demon did do it. Dean's going to need us. Really need us." Sam said. Although in true Dean fashion he probably wouldn't come out and tell them as much. He would try to shoulder the blame himself.

"Yeah. I know." Jack said.

**TBC………………..**

**AN: Okay not so much action in this chapter, just some things I felt needed to happen before they tracked the demon down. Some remembering of their own to do. It would be such a Jack thing to associate fondness with getting her ass kicked, or semi kicked anyway (Jack: It was a tie!) But then Sam did that too in a way, didn't he? Hope you enjoyed it!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I am the proud owner of a co-dependent cat, a slow dial-up connection and way too much free time. And that's all.**

It watched the two hunters scurry away from the police, whispering about something, their Dean no doubt, and dodge into a motel more rundown than the first. Daytime was not usually It's favorite time to be out and about, but those two were planning something. It kept watching them from down the street, keeping carefully out of view whenever one of them looked out the window of their ground level floor.

Dean was being very quiet for the past few hours, maybe it was time to make him scream again. It spotted a young man, walking a dog down the street and moved from the shadow of the building to follow him.

"_Leave him alone." _Dean started to stir once more.

"We tried that game Dean. It didn't end well remember." It taunted him.

"_You gonna kill him in front of the cops, genius?"_ Dean asked smugly when the boy let his curiosity take him to the small group of people watching the cops work at the crime scene they'd left behind the night before.

"Maybe we should go make a full confession." The demon snarled angry it had missed its prey.

"_Fine by me." _Dean said right back.

****"That's exactly why you humans are so weak. Your guilt, your self sacrifice. You would have put yourself between me and those two children even if I hadn't gotten to you first. Its pathetic the way you cling to each other." The demon said in a bored voice as It walked back the way it came.

_"Yeah, yeah you're a badass, heartless demon. You'll skewer humanity…. Blah, blah, blah." _Dean said. _"I've heard this speech before."_

The demon laughed at his host's attempt at being blasé. Dean was the mental equivalent of being curled in a corner shaking with the ongoing replay of murdering that girl.

"Jack, c'mere." Sam said from his laptop. Jack came from the window to look over Sam's shoulder at whatever he was reading. The cops were all over the neighborhood, so they opted to stay indoors till sundown. It wasn't a decision either liked. They'd been going stir-crazy all day in that room.

"Scrying?" Jack frowned at the webpage. "Does that even work?"

"Never tried it before but it couldn't hurt right? We' can get a map from the gas station and try." Sam said.

"I guess. It says we need quarts here." Jack pointed to a part of the article they were reading.

"Any clear crystal might work though." Sam said scrolling down a little more. Jack looked down at her wrist and fingered the long strand of amber colored beads she always wore twined around her wrist. They weren't really that clear.

"Think these will work?" She asked Sam.

"Don't really have a lot of options do we." Sam said looking at the beads. They looked fragile but they must have been tougher than they looked because he'd never seen her without them on and they didn't look all that worse for wear.

Halfway down the block Sam felt a chill up his spine like he was being watched. He grabbed Jack's hand and made her stop.

"What?" Jack reached under her jacket for her gun.

"I thought I felt something." Sam frowned. The feeling had disappeared as fast as it came.

"You think it was him?" Jack asked scanning the area discreetly.

"I don't know. Its gone now though." Sam replied in frustration.

"Are you sure?" Jack asked.

"Yeah." Sam said. "Lets go."

Jack hung back a second looking carefully at every face she could see then caught up with him. They hurriedly bought a dingy map of the city from the corner gas station and headed back to the relative safety of the motel room.

Sam spread the map out on the bed trying to make it lie as flat as possible.

"Hope this works." He said.

"Same here." Jack said. She slipped the first of many loops over her wrist and started to unwind the long strand of beads. She saw Sam open and close his mouth when he saw the skin that the bands covered was lined deep with a jagged circular scar that ran around her whole wrist.

"War stories later." Jack said. She handed the beads to Sam, the sun glinting through the windows made amber colored lights dance across the map.

"These are beautiful. What are they?" Sam asked holding the long make shift pendulum over the map.

"Thai protection beads. I've had them forever." Jack answered fondly. Sam ran his fingers along the smooth glass.

"Okay what next?" Jack asked sitting down on the bed.

"We need something of Dean's something he touched or used a lot." Sam said.

"One of his guns? Dean doesn't go anywhere unarmed." Jack said opening Dean's pack.

"Lets try a t-shirt. At least then if one of us gets spooked we don't have to worry about a bullet wound." Sam said.

"Zeppelin." Jack smiled pulling out Dean's favorite concert tee.

"Come over here and put it between us." Sam said pointing to the spot next to him on the bed.

"Now we concentrate on Dean." Sam said as Jack sat next to him on the foot of the bed with Dean's shirt sitting between them.

By some instinct they both closed there eyes and pictured their missing partner. Silence permeated the room, the tension growing. Sam didn't realize how much hope he'd put in this idea till that moment. He held the beads clenched in his hand over the general area, it was still in his grasp. After a few minutes he started to give up hope of the finding Dean by scrying. What was he thinking? Was this supposed to actually work? Even if scrying was legit, they didn't know what the hell they were doing? And-

He stopped berating himself when he felt a sharp tug on the beads. His eyes flew open to make sure it wasn't Jack trying to get his attention and tell him to give it up. Her eyes were still closed tight with lines of concentration marring her forehead. Sam held his breath and looked down at the beads. They were twisting and twirling as though pushed by an invisible wind. He fastened his eyes on the paper and thought harder about his brother, willing it to show him where Dean was.

"Jack." Sam whispered sharply when the necklace started circling smoothly over one area of the map. Jack opened her eyes, saw what was happening and grabbed for the red marker Sam had placed next to the map. She circled the approximate area it was showing them and gave Sam a triumphant look that he returned.

"Where is this?" Sam asked mostly to himself pulling the map towards them. It only took him a moment to work out where the circle was.

"He's here." Jack said. She jumped to her feet and walked to the window. The map said that Dean was in the immediate area.

"He's waiting for us to come out." Sam said pulling back the threadbare draperies to look out the other window.

"Good." Jack said. The sun was starting to go down. Another half hour.

"Here." Sam said holding out the beads to Jack.

"Hold 'em for me. This'll work better without the extra protection." Jack said. She reached for the razor sharp metal that doubled as a small throwing knife and a fastener for the brown leather cuff she wore on her left wrist. The toughened leather was branded with intricate Celtic knots. Then she removed the two silver bangles and the copper one, all handcrafted and inlaid with symbols. Jack had had them all her life. She felt almost naked without them.

Sam took those from her hand too, his hand grazing lines of scarring on her left wrist that matched the ones on her right. He put the precious tokens in the pocket inside his jacket. Jack left her medallion on.

Sam didn't need the book this time, he'd spent most of the day memorizing the exorcism ritual.

"You ready?" Jack asked checking the clip in her gun so she'd have something to do with her hands.

"Are you?" Sam asked. It was her ass on the line there.

"I know you've got my back. You just be fast with the spell. Demon Boy's gonna be pissed." Jack said. She was buzzing with nervous energy.

"Dean's gonna be pissed when we get him back." Sam said.

"I can deal with a pissed off Dean, just so long as he's back to being _our _pissed off Dean." Jack said.

"Just remember that when he's chasing us with a shotgun full of rock salt." Sam warned.

"I'll bribe him with peanut m&m's." Jack said. Sam barked a laugh and got serious again. This was dangerous, very dangerous.

"Go over it again." Sam said pacing over the small length of the room. He wanted to make sure they each knew what their part was.

"You rush him first, try to get him inside a space. Then I sweep in from behind, give him a taste of the fire to entice him. While I'm getting my ass kicked around the block you hang back and fake him out with the prayer so he panics and tries to jump again, to a more psychic body. When he's got me done on the ground and he's trying to do the body jump you exorcise his demon ass." Jack recited with more bravado than she felt. The demon was more vulnerable while it was trying to switch bodies, that was when they'd strike. The Devil's Trap on her back would keep her from getting possessed. The trick was getting the spell done before the demon realized he couldn't have her. Once he did he was going to be very pissed.

Jack didn't expect to get out unscathed. He couldn't use her as a meat puppet but he could still see into the darkest parts of her mind, he could still kill her with how close they had to be for this façade to work. She was a little scared but more than that she just wanted to get Dean back. Sam nodded and they prepared to go.

"Jack," Sam stopped her at the door. "If this starts to go south we stop. I'm bringing the shotgun loaded with rock salt."

"Yeah. Okay." Jack said.

It ran his hands along the iron railing enjoying the hiss against his flesh. The shadows grew longer and all the trash come out to play and ply their trade, not that it had to be night for them to do it. Some how the night brought them to his attention more. Like roaches that scuttled away when you flicked a light switch.

_"They aren't stupid. They're not going to just walk out for you to pounce on." _Dean sneered as the demon walked casually through the slums like he was waiting for something.

"You over estimate their intelligence." The demon mumbled back as he felt a flicker of something coming closer. It doubled back towards the building he'd gotten his new body in. It thought it was the perfect place to slaughter the remaining hunters.

It turned to the right alley and barely registered the shock before a large fist slammed into his face. The demon fell back against the hard concrete. Sam grabbed him by the collar and dragged him up from the ground.

"Give me back my brother." Sam said menacingly.

"Uhuh, he's mine now." The demon taunted turning Dean's green eyes black. He shoved his hands against Sam's chest slamming him backwards. Sam rolled with it and pushed off the wall swinging hard at his brother. He spied the door behind him. Where it all started.

He dodged an attack that still clipped his shoulder and saw a flash of red behind Dean, Jack had the shotgun, ready incase this part of the plan went bad. He'd take it when she made her appearance. Sam took a kick to the jaw that made his head swim. And he was being pulled back to through the doorway. Sam hooked his leg around the charred doorway and wrenched himself from the iron grip on his shirt.

Sam jumped to his feet and blocked Dean's knee aimed at his abdomen and thrust the heel of his palm into his chin hearing the painful click of teeth and an inhuman snarl from his brother's mouth. Dean lashed out grabbing Sam's hand twisting it painfully so he had to jerk forward or have his wrist broken. Dean's booted foot slammed into Sam's chest making him double over more.

Sam felt a small hand graze his back and Dean was letting go of him falling backwards.

Jack used Sam's back as leverage, pushing her palm against it and kicking Dean's face as hard as she could. Sam spun away as soon as his wrist was free. He took the opportunity to land one more crushing blow to the side of Dean's skull before doubling back and letting Jack take over.

Dean felt the pain of Sam's fist but he couldn't help the swell of pride that accompanied it as the demon fell back in his body. Then Jack was attacking fast and dirty like she always fought.

Jack didn't let him regain his balance after Sam knocked him into the wall. She rushed at her possessed friend, grabbing his shoulders and driving her knee hard into his stomach. She backed away a step and hit him with a back kick. Then the demon was crouching down on the floor growling at her, blood all over his chin and face. He shot at her fast and low, the way Dean had done in their sparring. Jack pivoted out of his range and danced on the balls of her feet.

"You move like a fucking slug compared to Dean." She taunted.

"I wouldn't get to cocky girl." He warned baring his teeth at her. He moved faster than a second ago and slammed Dean's fist into her cheek, snapping her head sideways. Jack stumbled to the ground and rolled out of the way of the boot that would have crushed her throat had it made contact.

_"Get up! Kick my ass already!" _Dean was shouting inside wishing t hey could here him.

"Jack, Jack, Jack." It tskd at her. She crouched down shifting weight from right leg to left leg.

"You couldn't beat Dean before what makes you think you can now?" The demon said with a viscous smile.

"It was a tie!" Jack said pushing up from the ground at Dean. He blocked the first two punches and countered with his own. She felt the blood dripping out of her nose and retaliated by biting hard and deep into his arm when it crossed her again.

"Bitch!" It screamed ripping his arm from her teeth. Jack spit Dean's blood to the floor and looked inward in concentration. She saw him pause, probably remembering the night before.

"Oh no you don't." He said grabbing her shirt and flipping her over his shoulder. She tried to hide her look of triumph as her back hit the dirty ground with a thud.

Sam was watching the fight tensely. They moved fast, giving no quarter. Finally he saw his cue when Jack started to call her fire and was slammed into the floor instead.

_"Fuck Sammy do something!" _Dean shouted wondering where the hell his brother was.

"Shut the fuck up!" It yelled aloud though it was directed at Dean. Dean was about to retort by telling the demon he was getting his ass handed to him by a girl who weighed 120 soaking wet when he heard the mumbled Latin in the background.

Dean jumped up pumping his fists in the air inside his mental prison. Sam was going to do it.

"No he's not." The demon turned hits gaze to Jack who was still coughing on the ground trying fruitlessly to get up.

It walked two steps towards her and pinned her to the floor with his foot on her chest. Dean watched in horror as It straddled Jack's waist and took her head roughly in his hands holding her still. She glared up at him defiantly and spit a mouthful of blood in Dean's face. He would have cheered if he didn't know what it was going to do.

_"Sammy! Sam! Stop the spell and help Jack! Sam!" _Dean screamed even though he knew Sam couldn't hear him. And the demon was opening its mouth starting to drain out of Dean and into Jack.

Why wasn't Sam helping her? Dean heard Sam stop talking but now it was just Jack struggling against Dean's weight trying to buck him off the way he'd tried to with Andy and getting nowhere.

_"No let her go!" _Dean pushed and tore for any control he could of his body.

Jack was terrified. The demon was pressing into her mouth, nose and eyes. Invading her. She instinctively fought back trying to get out from under him but she couldn't. Sam could feel Sam struggling not to do anything. It wasn't the right moment. Not yet.

**"You-What is this? Why can't I-" **Its mental voice was like something grating against every nerve ending in her body. "**Bitch!" **It screeched inside her mind when it came up against her protective barriers. That was when Sam started with the real exorcism, when it was enough between bodies to be vulnerable.

Sam spoke rapidly and loudly. He couldn't see clearly what was happening but he felt a pressure building over the whole room. He'd taken up the shotgun and aimed it at his brother. Its face twisted impossible towards him and Sam didn't see Dean but the things true face. Something twisted and out of his worst nightmares.

**"I'll take you with me." **It hissed turning back to Jack. It howled and Jack saw every horrible, broken thing she'd ever experienced tearing out of the confines of her mind and into the forefront.

Blood on her hands and the knife glistening with it. Glass under her knees as she knelt down in it. Guilt nearing insanity and the long buried glimpse inside another mind that made her bury that aspect of her ability. Jack felt the barbed wire twisting around her wrists again and the first bullet she ever shot. She saw that exorcism and her little playmate killing herself. Everything being played out before her eyes again.

Dean couldn't make sense of what he was seeing it all flew by so fast. He had a horrible tearing feeling like he was being ripped to shreds. He'd realized at the same time the demon did what their little plan was. If they lived through this he was going to kill both those idiots.

"ET Nomini Patri Et Fili Spiritus Santi!" Sam finally yelled finishing the prayer.

He'd had to put his hands over his ears to cover the awful sounds echoing off the walls. Now though he looked up to see his brother's head jerk back upward opening his mouth as the demon was forced out of him. Dean fell boneless off of Jack.

"Dean!" Sam cried out running forward. He dropped the shut gun by Dean's side and kneeled by his brother.

"Dean? Dean? Are you okay?" Sam asked softly shaking his brother a little. Sam looked up to see Jack shaking hard next to him with her eyes closed.

"Jack?" He asked trying to balance himself between the two. Jack's eyes flew open and she sat up twisting away as her stomach lurched and she got sick. She coughed and sputtered wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She felt raw and sick but her first thoughts were of her friends.

"Sa-Sam?" She said crawling the few feet over to him. "Did it work?"

"Are you alright?" Sam asked her. She nodded shakily. She wasn't she needed a drink and a distraction, she needed to be alone to collect herself.

"Is he him again?" She asked sidling up to Dean.

"Dean. Wake up man." Sam said barely above a whisper. Dean opened his eyes and gasped like he was breathing fro the first time in a long time.

Dean's lungs burned and his whole body hurt and not just from the tag team beating he took either.

"Dean is it you?" Jack asked. Dean looked at her.

"Are you insane!" He yelled hoarsely. "What the hell were you thinking? It could have killed you."

"He's Dean." Sam and Jack said simultaneously.

"Damn straight and I'm going to kick both your asses once I can move again." Dean growled at them. He couldn't remember being so relieved or pissed off at the same time.

"I think its time for the m&m's Jack." Sam said. Jack laughed weekly and on impulse grabbed one of his hands and one of Dean's. She could feel tired and sad and angry later. Right now her friends were alive. Dean and Sam fell into silence looking at their clasped hands and thought the same thing.

**TBC………………**

**AN: You like? I'll have you know, my pretties I now have a permanent ass imprint in my chair from sitting all this time to write this. You better appreciate it (jking). We're not done yet though, there are issues abound and then Hunters:Bad Moon Rising starts. For those who have been asking after it, that's the story with the Broken teaser in it. Muhahahahaha! Till next time……**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: You know the drill.**

They dragged each other back to the Impala parked around the block and drove back to the room. Once there they went through the motions of patching themselves up in silence, the relief at being together again putting a temporary lid on the issues that were waiting to spring on them. They were all so quiet during those first few hours that no one saw anything abnormal in Dean's lack of speech.

The morning after they got him back Sam said they should get going, he was more than happy to never see that city again as long as he lived. But Dean just shook his head and retreated into the dingy bathroom for another marathon shower. He'd been taking a lot of those since the demon left his body.

Jack paid for the room next to theirs and hid away for two days trying to cobble her walls back together.

You can handle it, she told herself rocking back and forth. Then one of the images would sneak up on her again and she'd start from square one. Her hands shook as she rubbed her fingers over the bracelets around her wrists. She got up and paced the room. She didn't deal well with being overwhelmed, she lashed out at anyone and anything in her path. That was why she walled herself off from the boys while she worked to block out the things the demon had dredged up. Then she had moment of terror that snapped her out of the ritual of repression. The demon was still partially in Dean when it played out her worst memories. Dean might have seen. Jack sat down on the edge of her bed, bit her lip so hard it cracked open healing cut there and started to bleed anew.

Then she was filled with shame. Dean was hurting, she knew, because Sam would knock on her door at night and just sit and watch the crappy t.v. till he was sure Dean was sleeping before he went back. They didn't talk much, he seemed to know that she was still too messed up to do anything besides sit next to him and pretend to watch infomercials.

'He's your friend and your here feeling sorry for yourself.' Jack thought scornfully at herself as she sat on the bed. She pushed herself up intent on doing something besides wallow in self pity. A quick shower and Jack left the room for the first time in two days. The midmorning sun hurt her eyes, she spotted Sam leaning against his door watching something. She followed his gaze to the Dean in the parking lot of the motel splashing buckets of soapy water on the Impala.

"Hey." Jack said with an apologetic smile.

"Hi." Sam replied giving her a small nod.

"What's he doing?" Jack asked.

"Demon drove his car. He wants it to be clean again." Sam said.

:He told you that?" Jack asked hopeful that maybe that meant Dean was feeling better.

"No, he's still not saying anything." Sam said regretfully. Jack felt a pang in her chest. It was her fault Dean was like this, if she'd just held on.

"You feeling better?" Sam asked Jack, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"I'll live. Any idea what went on while he was different?" Jack asked nodding at Dean, now wiping down the windshield with an old t-shirt. His face was set in a determined scowl, like cleaning that car was all that mattered. Maybe in that moment it was.

"No, he barely looks at me. And he's been at this for over an hour." Sam said banging the back of his fist against the door he was leaning against. Dean was a living like a ghost the past few days. He was just sort of there. He didn't say anything, barely acknowledged Sam. He just drifted though t he days. Sam supposed he should be relieved that Dean at least left the room to wash the car. But the movements were so repetitive and manic that he wasn't so sure.

"Have you talked to your dad at all?" Jack asked.

"No. I can't deal with this and my dad at the same time." Sam said shaking his head. John left a message the night before but Sam had yet to call him back.

Sam didn't know what to do except give Dean the space he needed to work through this. He asked Dean what happened again an again only to be met with silence and the occasional stare that was trying to convey something to him but Sam didn't know what. Now all he could do was sit back and wait. Things like showers and washing his car was Dean's way of getting control back, Sam knew.

Three days later, Dean still hadn't said a single word. One day Sam woke up late in the afternoon and Dean was gone. He jumped out of bed and look in the bathroom and outside for any sign of Dean but both him and his car were gone. Sam went back in the room and nearly fell down with relief when he saw that Dean's duffel and weapon bag was still there. Dean wouldn't take off without those. Sam ran his hand through his hair then went through the motions of getting cleaned up and dressed. He hated this room, it was dirty, bugs scampered around the place and he just really wanted to leave Arizona behind period. Dean wouldn't leave and Sam didn't know why.

Dean looked at the address he'd dug up on the laptop then up at the building across the street from him. It was a working class place, neat and better than the neighborhood they were staying at. Certainly better than the place where the young mother was working late nights at that bar. The front door to the apartment building opened and a man in his late twenties walked carrying a baby carrier in one hand, with a sleeping infant strapped inside. Dean's throat closed. Her baby, he recognized him from the pictures. Dean followed the man carrying the carrier at a safe distance. They were heading towards a nearby playground.

Dean didn't know what the hell he hoped to gain from this excursion, except that every time he closed his eyes he saw that dead woman, Emma he found out her name was Emma Slone, she lived with her and her baby Timothy. Dean had raked over the tiny obit on his computer while Sam was next door trying to lose himself for awhile in Jack's room. The man opened the small fence that surrounded the playground, went inside and hugged a woman who looked eerily like Emma, her sister Dean remembered from what he'd read, and the man must have been her sister's husband.

Dean took a seat on a bench and opened his newspaper pretending to read while the two people talked. The two looked like they'd been through hell. The woman's clothes were disheveled, there were thick circles under her eyes and every time she smiled at her husband she looked like she was going to break down. She took the baby from the carrier and held him tight in her arms. A little blonde girl was tugging at the hem of her black sweater trying to get her attention. Dean watched the small family, newly broken by him. He felt the hot tears well up in his eyes.

He couldn't go on like this, he knew. Sam was worried sick about him, looking guilty every time Dean got up to take another random shower, every time Dean washed his car till his knuckles opened up again and started to bleed. Sam would quietly wrap them in gauze, ask him what happened and give a resigned sigh when Dean wouldn't answer. Jack kept opening her mouth and closing it like she couldn't think what to say, shifting from foot to foot like she wanted to run. He kept seeing fractured images that he knew were hers. He wasn't sure what to do with that information. He saw some things clearly in the mishmash though. He saw that she thought Dean being possessed was her fault. He wanted to tell her not feel that way but he couldn't find the words. He also saw how far she was willing to go to get him back with that stunt she and Sam pulled. He got angry every time he thought about. The anger was good it distracted him from feeling like a killer.

A baby crying pulled Dean from his thoughts. He looked up and saw Emma's sister bouncing baby Timothy in her arms as she walked back in forth shushing him. The man was pushing the blonde girl on the swings looking worriedly at his wife.

**"Its okay Sammy, stop crying. Please don't cry." Dean said rubbing little circles on Sammy's legs the way he liked, to calm him down. Daddy was pouring over some book down stairs, so Dean was trying hard to get his one year old brother to go back to sleep.**

**"Daddy says he's going to make the bad things go away Sammy, so you don't have to cry anymore." Dean said. When that didn't work Dean climbed into Sam's crib and wrapped his arms around his brother. He began humming a lullaby his mommy always sang to him when she was alive. Sam eventually quieted and yawned big, seconds later he was sleeping soundly. Dean looked down at him, kissed Sam's forehead and closed his eyes.**

Dean rubbed his eyes, sniffing hard to make it look like he had a cold and not like he was on the brink of sobbing right outside the park. The memory reminded him that this wasn't him, this wasn't who he was. Dean Winchester did not sit back and let himself fall apart. He had too much to do, too much he was responsible for. He folded up his newspaper and left on the park bench while in the background Timothy was finally calm again.

Sam came out of his room to see Jack sitting on the floor between the rooms with a brown paper bag that held a small bottle of cheap whiskey. She looked at him and held up the bottle. Sam sighed took the bottle downed some of the liquor and sat down next to her with his legs stretched out in front of him. His ribs were still hurting bad from the hits he took so sitting was not a fun thing to try. He drank some more to ease the ache there. Not much of the bottle was empty, she must have just gotten back from the store. Sam usually didn't drink hard stuff but Dean was fuck knows where and he really needed something to calm his nerves.

"You seen Dean?" Sam asked after a third mouthful. He handed the bottle back to Jack.

"No. I got up and he was gone." Jack said staring at the space where his car once was.

They sat in comfortable silence taking turns drinking sips of the drink neither wanting to get too buzzed.

"Jack?" Sam said after awhile.

"Hmm?" Jack rolled her head wound to see Sam looking at her curiously.

"What's the real story with the Devil's Trap on your back?" Sam asked. He'd been wondering about it for the longest but every time he asked she'd make a joke about it. "And don't give me the bit about the dark shaman threatening to pull out your spine and beat you with it. I read that book too."

Jack snorted and took another drink.

"He really did something along those lines but that wasn't why I got the tattoo." Jack acquiesced.

"Was it because of what you saw when you were five?" Sam asked her softly.

"After what I saw when I was a kid I was paranoid about getting possessed myself. "That started all kinds of trouble by the way," She started. "But I got the Trap tattooed on me for different reasons, when I was just turning seventeen."

"Remember when I s aid my ability made me a target because its so rare?" Jack asked. Sam nodded.

"Well there are rituals out there that someone, someone very powerful can do to take your ability. Like I said though, they'd have to be very powerful and its so much trouble that most of the baddies will just kill you or try to control you first.

"There was a dark shaman in butt-fuck Appalachia and he tried one such ritual. Didn't work. He ended up killing himself on accident." Jack snorted mumbling 'Idiot' under her breath. "But it came close. After that I did research, lot and lost of research. I found the demonic keep out sign and tested it out first. Nothing gets past The Devil's Trap and nothing leaves it. I did it to make sure no one could magically take my gift."

Sam was digesting this information when a shadow fell over him and her. Dean was glowering down at them.

"What if it didn't work?" He demanded, his voice thick from lack of use. He grabbed the bottle of whiskey and chugged it grimacing as the fiery drink made its way down his throat. He paced in front of them glaring at the two.

"What if it got past the tattoo, those aren't infallible you know. What if I'd killed you both?" Dean demanded harshly.

"Dean we do this all the time. We take chances, how is this different?" Jack said tiredly. Dean turned that fierce piercing gaze on her and his expression said it all. _Because it was you two in harms way. And I couldn't protect you. _

"We had to try." Sam said defensively. He knew Dean would get to this line of thought eventually. The relief that Dean had actually spoken didn't even have time to get through the alcohol induced cloud before the indignation hit.

"Why?" Dean asked. Sam jumped to his feet and grabbed Dean by the collar. Jack had a second to move out of the way before Sam slammed Dean against the wall she'd just been leaning against.

"Why! Did you just ask why Dean?" Sam yelled furiously.

"Sam, let go." Jack said trying to pry his hands from Dean's jacket before they came to blows.

"Let go Sam." Dean said. He wasn't looking Sam in the eye. It was a stupid question to ask, he deserved the murderous(he winced at the word) looks his was getting from the two of them. He knew why. If it was him he would've done anything to get one of the other two back. They took chances, they went in guns blazing and half cocked sometimes. Its what they did. Planning, luck, and balls out daring.

"You're my brother, Dean. Don't ever ask why I'd risk my life for you again." Sam said before letting go and stepping back.

Dean bent to pick up the bottle of liquor he'd dropped on the floor. A third of the bottle was gone now. He took another sip and handed it to Jack. He slid down on the floor avoiding the puddle of whiskey there. Jack took a place on one side and Sam on the other.

"Emma Slone." Dean said after a few minutes.

"What?" Sam asked.

"The name of the woman I killed." Dean answered looking straight ahead. He wouldn't look at their shocked faces at his confession.

"It wasn't you though." Sam rushed to assure his brother. "You had no control, you were barely able to keep it from killing me." Sam winced at his own choice of examples.

"Dean, I'm sorry." Jack said in a small voice. Dean looked at her, looking shocked and stricken. "But it wasn't your fault. Don't blame yourself."

"Its not yours either." Dean said seriously.

"It was demon. And only the demon." Sam said forcefully. The sat watching the sun go down, taking turns with the bottle till it was empty.

"Dad called." Sam said breaking the silence. Dean nodded.

"When are we leaving?" Jack asked.

"Tomorrow." Dean said. They didn't have another job yet but he was done with imprisoning himself in this city, watching the dead woman's world go on without her. He'd never lift that guilt but he had a job to do. He stood up, took the bottle Sam had been tapping on the walkway and threw it hard across the parking lot where it landed and shattered.

"Hey." Dean said turning to them suddenly. Sam looked at him questioningly.

"I thought you said something about m&m's before." Dean said. Jack snorted and Sam let go a fleeting smile.

He smirked at Sam and Jack and went back to his place between the two.

**TBC……**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**EPILOGUE**

Jack reached out and turned The Unforgiven II down to a dull whisper in the car. Dean looked at her and reached out to turn it back up, earning a smack to his hand.

"What?" He demanded annoyed.

"About that woman…." Jack said softly trailing off. Her and Sam had followed Dean earlier that morning when he disappeared. He went to watch Emma's funeral, sitting unassumingly in the back of the little church.

His grip had tightened on the steering wheel and he loosened them now to fish his lighter and his last cigarette from his pocket. He only lit up when he was really stressed but he'd gone through a pack already in last week.

"Dean." Sam said disapprovingly.

"Sam not now." Dean warned.

"Dean you have to forgive yourself." Sam said. The deepening circles under Dean's eyes were starting to worry him. "You didn't have control."

"I know Sam. I just- I just want to forget about it okay." Dean snapped. "I'll be fine. Just stop talking about it."

"You're not okay." Jack said softly. Dean stopped while lighting his cigarette.

"Neither are you." Dean pointed out and finished lighting up taking a long drag. Jack scratched the back of her head stalling for time. Moment of truth time.

"What did you see?" Jack asked. "What did the demon show you?"

"I don't really know what I saw. It was happening fast and I only caught a few images in time." Dean said, "I know it was bad though."

"What are you guys talking about?" Sam asked sitting forward resting his chin on the front seat.

"You've officially both entered the "Been in Jack's Head Club". Congratulations Sammy, you're the founding member." Jack said sardonically.

Sam was quiet. He remembered Jack's mind, shadows everywhere, things hidden away. At the time he didn't really pay much attention to those things. He was busy looking for Jack.

"Its not fair you know. I don't get to do a guest spot in either of your heads." Jack said pouting. Dean rolled his eyes and reached out to turn his song back up.

"Remind me," Jack drawled twisting a little so she had her back against the passenger door and could look Dean in the face when she spoke.

"Are we still mad at each other?" Jack asked. Dean dropped his hand from the radio. Had it really been just a week ago that they were biting each others head off and then barely speaking?

"Don't think we ever resolved anything." Dean said.

"I didn't think there was much to resolve." Jack said. Dean scowled at her.

"Compromise?" He said.

"I can do as I please and you'll pretend not to notice?" Jack inquired.

"Not likely." Sam said leaning back.

"I'll try not to hurt the guys you flirt with and you won't give me a reason to want to." Dean said. Jack snorted. Sam nodded in agreement with his brother.

Dean thought of what It had said about why he didn't like the thought of Jack like that.

"No." Dean said swallowing and clearing his throat.

"No what?" Jack asked eyeing him curiously.

"No we're not still mad at each other." Dean said.

"Good cause I can't afford anymore m&m's for you." Jack said.

"Hey, if I can afford to buy you two lunches a day, you can afford to buy my affection with candy." Dean said.

"If you feel good enough to joke then…" Sam said smiling as he plucked the cigarette out of Dean's fingers and tossed it out the window.

"Sam that was my last smoke." Dean cried out glaring at his brother.

"Cigarettes have rat poison in them Dean." Sam launched into a lecture on the dangers of smoking. Dean looked at Jack who nodded. He turned the radio up as loud as it would go.

"Can't hear you Sam, the music's too loud." Dean shouted over the music.

"Ass." Sam shouted back.

"Still can't hear you Francis." Dean snickered.

**The End**

**AN: Hope everyone enjoyed the story and thanks for all the wonderful encouragement. You guys rock! **


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